Looking Back
by chickay
Summary: It was supposed to be a time of peace. The scouts were supposed to be living normal lives. THEY were supposed to be protecting their families and their people. But then again, like life ever goes like it's supposed to...
1. AN & Prolouge

Disclaimer:      I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters.

Description:

Half a decade into the future, the scouts have created new lives for themselves and have established a (more or less) peaceful atmosphere. But amidst the happiness of the lives they've created, a new darkness is closing in. Old secrets and new surprises are in store for our heroes as old mysteries and true feelings and emotions are unleashed.

*Looking Back*

Author's Notes:

            This whole fic serves as a prologue for another fic that's the main focus of my energy as of now. Also, I have to say that this fic and the one I'm putting in right after it has Michiru and Haruka paired up with GUYS and not each other. I'm just putting this in because if you are a fan of these two being a couple or if you prefer that pairing, then I suggest you do not read this. I'd rather have my fic read by people who are not offended by my pairings.  

Also, these chapters serve as updates to all the scout's lives as of now and the last chapter will immediately tie in with the first chapter of my next fic. Constructive criticisms are accepted and encouraged.

Note: this is also my second time uploading this story. Last time, I ran into some major computer troubles so I had to try to re-do some of the chapters. Not much has changed in the basic story plot, just a couple of tidbits here and there that will serve a much greater purpose in the future.

~*chickay*~

Looking back

Prolouge

Location: Unknown

_A huge explosion erupted, soon followed by a shriek of protest. A door slid open from behind one of the walls. Five people stormed into the room , panting and sweating as one of them slammed their hand against a panel and the door closed immediately just in time before something on the other side fired a laser at their direction. Their faces were shielded by the darkness of the room and the only thing that could be sensed was the blood on their clothes and the sweat on their bodies. The five people in the room stayed where they were for a while, panting and trying to catch their breaths. _

_            "Jesus!" One of them, a male exclaimed, panting. "Just how fucking many of them are there?"_

_            "Our radars showed over two hundred troops on land." Another one, this one a female, replied just as breathlessly. "And even more in the air."_

_            "Shit!" More panting then another female spoke up._

_            "What about her highness? Is she safe?"_

_            "Which highness are you talking about?" A masculine voice asked mockingly. On a more serious note he said, "All of them are fine. The priest said that he will provide as much protection for as long as he can for them. But his part will only come in if the others…If they…"_

_            At this, all five quieted down until the first female that had spoken choked up._

_            "I saw her!" The other female present walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder while the other continued to sob. "I saw her! S-She screamed at me t-to run. Why'd I run? I should've stayed! I should've stayed with her!!"_

_            The other female clenched her fist and muttered, "Forgive me, my friend." With that, she flicked her palm across the girl's cheek…hard. The other started, surprised. Rubbing her cheek softly, she said, "Thanks. I needed that."_

_            The one male that had not spoken walked over to the control panels of what looked like a huge ring, looking like an entrance of some portal._

_The young man, more than likely the leader of the group, pressed numerous buttons on the panel and the gate began to emit a bright light on one side. He turned to the others who had watched him. _

_            "Come on!" He commanded, "We don't have much time."_

_            "Dude! What the fuck are you doing?" One of the males demanded._

_            The one at the controls spun around. "We don't have a choice. We have to do this!" Turning back to the controls, he continued talking to them. "We have to go retrieve some help."_

_            "Who the fuck could possibly help us now?" The female who wasn't crying demanded._

_            "Yeah." Spoke up one of the males. "No one can help us. And even if they were willing to, like they would know the first things for us to do. We're stuck between a rock and hard place, dude."_

_            "Yes," Was their leader's simple reply, "There are people that can help us. Chances are, they won't want to but like we're going to give them much of a choice." AT his last few words, he motioned to the weapon at his side._

_            "Are you suggesting that we use physical force to bribe these people to help us?" One male demanded. _

_            "Are you suggesting that we sit around and wait for those bastards to come in and slaughter us all?" He retorted. To all of them, he said. "All of those that we have just left still have a chance at life. But only if we are willing to take the risk of doing it. This will be very risky. But I know that it will prove highly fruitful if we can accomplish it."_

_            After a moment of silence, one of them spoke up. "Who exactly did you have in mind to help us out?"_

_            His comrades' face gazed at him with shock when he told them. _

_"Wow…" One of them breathed. "They are going to slaughter us after we save them."_

_"Who gives a rat's ass?" Another retorted. "We could stand a chance now!"           _

_"You mean…"_

_A smile broke out on the crying girl's face. "We can stop this! We can save them!"_

_            "Yes. But we don't have much time. Those _things _are coming in and fast!" Light from the portal gate illuminated the room, causing the girls to shield their eyes. He turned to the girl who had cried first._

_            "Go! It's set for the first carrier's location in their beginning century." The girl turned to the other and the two embraced._

_            "Be careful." The other muttered. _

_            The girl smirked. "When am I not?" _

_With that, she spun around and ran straight to the gate. Before she stepped through, she turned to their leader and the two stared at each other for a while. Abruptly, both reached for each other into a kiss before reluctantly pulling away. He grazed his hand on her face softly and she gripped that hand. Wordlessly, she squeezed his hand before stepping into the gate. He stood there and watched as her petite figure stepped through the gate. As soon as she disappeared, he turned and punched in another set of codes._

_            "Hey!" He called to the girl and one of the males who stood by her. "It's your target." _

_            Just as the words escaped his lips, the room fell subject to an enormous shaking. Gathering herself, the girl walked right in front of the gate while her companion stayed where he was. When he didn't turn to face her or make a move towards the gate, she frowned._

_            "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She demanded, more concern than anger in her voice. Her companion pulled out a weapon, a gleaming blade and turned around, facing the entrance of the room where something was being rammed against the door._

_            "Go without me!" He shouted._

_            "What? No!" The female sounded horrified at the thought. "I'm not leaving without you!"_

_            "Then you're an idiot!" He shouted back. "I'm going to stay in case those bastards come through. I'm not gonna have them follow you guys. You hear me?!" _

_The other male who wasn't at the controls closed his eyes. "We hear you."_

_            Before the other could comprehend what was happening, his friend had brought his clenched fist into his face. The girl at the gate suppressed a shriek as the male picked up her companion and brought him in front of her and handed him into her arms._

_            "Go." He commanded. "When he wakes up, tell him I'm sorry." He smirked. "And if it's any consolation, I think his head just broke my fist."_

_The female stared at him for a second, looking as if she had just discovered something incredible. Then she smiled softly before planting a soft and quick kiss on his lips. Taking her companion, she turned around and entered the gate. As she left, he could've sworn that she breathed a "Thank you" to him._

_            The male at the controls smirked at his friend. "Nice touch man. But you do know that he's gonna knock you out cold the next time he sees you."_

_            "As long as they're both good and alive when that happens," The other said quietly. "I don't give three flying fucks."_

_            The ramming and noises behind them became louder as the male punched in more coordinates. "Done! Go!"_

_            His friend extended a hand to him. "I'm gonna kill you if you don't live through this."_

_            His friend nodded and the two embraced briefly before the other ran into the gate. Alone, the man looked at his surroundings and gave out an ironic chuckle. _

_            "And this was supposed to be a time of peace." He looked up, determined, and punched in a last set of coordinates. He heard the last wall of the door give way. He took out his own sword and struck it down into the control panels. Not one of them would be able to use this transport to come after them. He then proceeded towards the gate where crackles of electricity were erupting as a result of his damage to the machine. He turned around just in time to see a horde of the monsters storming into the room. Swiftly, he struck the gate's supports and entered the portal, destroying the gate just in the nick of time and making his way to the other side…_

Prsent-day Japan:

            In a darkened room, a slim figure jolted out up from her bed, her mysterious violet eyes widened in fear. Sweat glittered over her face and her soft panting could be heard in the dead silence of night.

            "No…" She whispered inaudibly. "No." Shaking her head sadly in resignation. Such a dream, yet it was so vivid…so real. She understood what it meant yet wished it wasn't true. Something was coming. And she had no idea what of and why. That scared her even further. Well, maybe not scared her. More like irritated her beyond belief. This particular vision had always appeared to her so vaguely in her dreams, despite her growing psychic powers. She looked down at herself and shook her head again. She had slept in her work clothes once more. She really ought to learn how to organize herself better. Sighing tiredly, she fell back to the pillows once more, praying to the heavens that the disturbing dream never bother her again.

            _Yeah, right_. She though sadistically as she began to drift off. _Like the heavens ever listen to a damn thing we_ say.__

~*chickay*~

Like? Hate? Lemme know so I can either continue on with this or stop such horrible writing in our planet as we know it.__


	2. Part I Usagi

Disclaimer:      Look at **A/N.**

Looking back

Part I

Location: Japan, Chiba residence

            Usagi Chiba awoke to the soft caress of the morning sun's rays. Not that she needed any warmth. Trailing her eyes upwards from the strong arms that had held her in her sleep, she couldn't help but smile at her husband's face. Mamoru looked like such an angel in his sleep, far different from the outwardly obnoxious and teasing teenager she had first met. She chuckled softly at the thought.

It truly is funny how things managed to work out, now that she thought over everything in her life as of yet.

As a crybaby fourteen year-old, no one, and especially not Usagi herself, had expected much of her. If only everyone knew just how much this young lady, no, this _woman_ had done for the world. She had grown up and how well she had turned out! Slowly, as to not disturb her sleeping partner, she arose from their bed and slipped on her robe. Perhaps she would make breakfast. She took hold of a brush on her vanity and thoughtfully ran it through her silvery-gold hair. Usagi had cut it a while ago but it did not make a difference as her body seemed to make it grow out no matter how many times she attempted to make it shorter. Now, it was down from the buns that she had worn as a teen and flowed down her back in luscious, soft waves that stopped right by her butt. 

Glancing back at her sleeping husband, she smiled and walked out of their room and towards another room in their house.

It was so wonderful to have a house of their own. After they had been married, Usagi moved in with Mamoru in his apartment and they had begun their careers. Despite the fact that they made a lot of money from both their jobs, they had chosen a house in the suburbs rather than stick around in the city. It was quieter than the city and it was a life that Usagi was more used to. Not that Mamoru minded. He had wanted a life like Usagi had wanted in her childhood and he wanted their child to have that same experience.

Quietly, Usagi pushed open another door on the second floor and smiled softly. The room was painted with various pink shades that melded together to create a beautiful effect and was covered with a plush pink carpeting. The room held various furniture, baby things, and numerous stuffed animals. Usagi walked over to the crib and brushed aside the see-through silky netting that surrounded her child. 

An eight-month old Chibiusa lay there, asleep, in her pink pajamas, covered with a soft white blanket. Her pink hair was beginning to curl around her scalp and had begun to take on the strange Lunarian trait of growing out seriously fast. For a while, Usagi just stood there at the foot of the crib staring admiringly at her daughter. She was so beautiful. While her agent was relieved that carrying around Chibiusa had not had a great effect on her figure, Mamoru and Usagi were thankful that their daughter was born healthy. In mid-thought, Chibiusa began to stir. She awoke fitfully and opened her eyes into a frown. Huge, crimson orbs softened from that frown into a huge smile as the child recognized Usagi. Gleefully laughing, she clapped her hands together and lifted them into the air, indicating she wanted to be picked up. Laughing, Usagi reached in and pulled her daughter out.

"Good morning, my Small Lady." She cooed. Chibiusa giggled and softly tugged on a portion of her mother's hair that had trailed onto her face. Usagi took up a sutffed animal, an adorable stuffed bunny that she had owned as a child and handed it to Chibusa, who squealed and held onto it. Smiling, Usagi walked down the stairs with Chibiusa in her arms. She set her daughter into the high chair and walked over to the fridge.

"So, my darling," She called to her daughter. "What should be whip up today? Hmm…Maybe some bacon…Or some pancakes…with eggs." Chibiusa was playing with her stuffed bunny when Usagi glanced over at her. "Maybe I ought to make all?" To this, the pink haired angel laughed and clapped her hands together in agreement.

Usagi laughed. "Okay, okay. But you're not gonna have any of it until your teeth grow in." Chibiusa cocked her head to one side and looked at her mother quizzically before going back to playing with her stuffed animal. Usagi began to heat up the oven, thinking quietly to herself,

'Thank goodness for home economics classes and Makoto's cooking lessons. Otherwise, we'd be living on take-out for the rest of our lives.'

Soon, the kitchen filled with the sweet arome of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and coffee. Which smell awoke her husband, Usagi had no clue. Just as she stacked up the last of the pancakes, she felt a strong pair of arms surround her tiny waist.

"Good morning Usako." Usagi giggled at his use of her old nickname and tilted her head to give him a peck on the lips.

"Good morning yourself." Mamoru planted a kiss on her forehead before turning around to face his daughter.

"Who do we have here?" Chibiusa giggled as Mamoru proceeded to make silly faces as Usagi served up breakfast for him. He was already dressed for his work at the hospital. Over the years, he had gained an impeccable reputation as one of the best and youngest doctors, turning thirty in a matter of a little over a year. Just as she set down breakfast, Mamoru served up two coffee cups for each of them and took out Chibiusa's breakfast and their telephone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good morning Chiba-sama!" Mamoru smiled at the voice on the phone.

"Good morning, Mike."

"How's it going?"

"Pretty good." He replied. "How about you?"

The photographer shrugged on the other line. "Same old, same old."

Mamoru grinned. "Really? How's Kira?"

At this, the younger man was thankful that Mamoru couldn't see his face. "She's great. Actually, her folks are going to have a barbecue in a matter of days. Her sister is supposed to finally be there. She's incredibly busy you know."

Mamoru nodded. "I see." His tone changed into a sly one. "Haven't you already popped the question to Kira yet?"

Mike laughed. "Man, I wish! You must've been freaking out so badly when you asked Usagi."

Mamoru laughed along with him, not adding in that he had just come back from the dead when he asked her. "Yeah, something along those lines. You probably want to talk to Usagi, right?"

"Yeah." Mike replied. "Don't worry, I'll be quick."

Mamoru handed the phone to his wife and proceeded to eat while still making faces at Chibiusa.

            "Michael?"

            "Hey there, Usagi-sama."

            "Good morning." She replied. "Are we still on for the shoot today?"

            "Yup. You've got a cover shoot to do from twelve to about one-thirty and a couple more regulars to do from then to about four or five. And remember, you've got that show to do next week. And also…"

            Usagi nodded, taking in all the information that he was supplying her with. Believe it or not, Usagi is now a famous model. When I said she changed, I meant she _changed. Her natural beauty mixed in with the sophistication and grace that she later gained equaled to having her face on over hundreds of ads and cover magazines. Even after Chibiusa was born, her figure went on unharmed to the relief of Kasha, her agent._

            "Okay." She said when Mike was done. "Thanks and I'll see you at the studio."

Mamoru was gulping down his meal when Usagi made her way to her seat. After a few moments of silence, her husband stopped and looked at her.

            "You okay?" Usagi looked up at him, her eyes seemingly glazed over.

            "Have you felt it?" she questioned. Mamoru looked at her, startled, then put down his utensils and nodded downwards. 

            "Yes." He replied. "Something big is about to happen. I've been having this feeling for quite a while now."

Usagi peered at him. "Is it something …" Her voice faltered into a tone of desperation. "…bad?"

Mamoru looked up at her and noted the look of pain and tiredness in her eyes. She had amazed him over the years they had been together. How she had grown up from that immature child he had first flirted with to this amazingly mature woman. Still, her care for a zillion other people other than herself had remained. He understood that she didn't want to fight anymore. And she understood that, as a soldier, it was her duty to do so. He followed the direction of her azure eyes and sighed as he found them resting on their daughter as she attempted to drink her juice. 

He didn't want Usagi to fight. That's what he and the other scouts were there for. But nonetheless, she was the strongest and the most dedicated. But now that she was a mother, she had new obligations and harder decisions to make. He didn't even want to consider the pain and worry she must be going through. Determined, he reached over and took her hand into his. She glanced at him quizzically. In reply, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed them softly. He was rewarded by one of her true smiles. Not like the ones that were displayed in magazines and ads. A true smile. A smile meant entirely for him and for him alone.

Chibiusa glanced back and forth between her parents, confused. As a baby, she didn't know the true extent of her powers. It was strange, but she could've sworn that she just heard her father say, "Whatever happens, we're in this together," when he reached across the table to her mother's hand. But, he hadn't moved his lips! She pouted. Grown-ups were strange.

Just then, there was a knock at the back door. Mamoru opened it to reveal a girl of about fifteen years of age. She had purple eyes and black hair that went about half-way down her back. She was dressed in black jeans and a black tank top with a black blazer being held with one hand over her shoulder. Smiling, she said,

"Good morning, Mamoru-sama." Mamoru smiled back and welcomed her in.

"Good morning Hotaru." Usagi walked over to the girl and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks again for volunteering to babysit Chibiusa." She said. "You have no idea how much we appreciate it. "

Hotaru Tomoe shook her head and laughed. "No biggie, Usagi-san. School just ended for the summer so I get pretty restless around the house." 

The girl spotted Chibiusa and promptly walked over to her. Upon seeing the older girl, Chibiusa began squealing and laughing and holding out her arms. Hotaru laughed and scooped up the child. 

The couple watched them and smiled, still mindful of that horrible sense of the pending disaster and doom that was more than likely hovering over them and the happy life that they had created.

Location: Unknown

            He eyed the piece of equipment with sadness. It had been quite functional till very recently. He shook his head much like a father would at a child that had just broken a window. They were such idiots. If only they had just joined them, everything would've been just fine. And this beautiful portal wouldn't have been destroyed. He sighed dejectedly. Oh well. They would find other means to catch up to them. 

            With that final thought, he swirled around to face an armor clad figure being forced to kneel before him. Where the mortal heart would be was the emblem of the soldier's nation. He was surprised to see that the soldier was no commoner. 

_A high general? Well…that's odd_. He tilted his head, eyeing the kneeling warrior. _Why on earth would they make _this_ one a high general? _He shook off his thought and continued to pace around the figure like a vulture on its prey.

The armor was very beautifully designed, he could tell that. Many of his subordinates understood his wicked agendas but he was also known to be a good judge of art when it was brought before him. He brought his finger upon the soldier's chin and forced the face to look up at him.

The bowing figure was forced to lift up its head. The face that met him was dominated by defiant, angry black-blue eyes glared up at him.

            "Well, well," He murmured aloud. "What am I going to do with you?"

~*chickay*~

A/N: To those who were confused, Chibi-Usa picked up her father's comforting telepathic message to her mother. Oh…what's going on? Anyone else here confused? Please let me know so I can finish this up for you guys. Well, hope you like it. Please review! I need encouragement to go on! 


	3. Part IIa Rei

Disclaimer:      Look at **A/N.**

BTW. Thank you guys who reviewed! It gives me some major encouragement knowing that my stuff is actually being read and appreciated!

Looking Back

Part II.I

Location: Japan, Hikawa Jinja, Hino residence

            "REI HINO! GET UP! YOU'RE LATE FOR WORK!"

            Almost instantly, the said woman awoke with a start, throwing off her blanket covers and began rushing around her room at the shrine much to the amusement of the short, stocky old man who was trying in vain to suppress his laughter. Upon hearing his outburst of laughs, the raven haired woman turned and shot a glare at her grandfather. Her violet eyes flicked over to the calendar that hung on her wall then turned on a death glare aimed at her grandfather's head.

            "Grandpa! It's a Saturday!"

The old man donned on an angelic frontage. "Really? How about that? My bad, Rei."

            Actually, she was a sight to see. She had slept in her work blouse and skirt, both of which were wrinkled and her hair looked worse. She had on one shoe and was in the process of putting on the other and had her coat and briefcase slung over her shoulder. The woman glared at her grandfather and great flames ignited in her eyes.

            "Grr…GRANDPA!!!"

*One chase, one pillow, and about twenty whacks later…*

            Rei rolled her eyes at her grandfather who lay on the floor, her abused pillow in his lap. Geez. Her grandfather was _at least _three times as old as she but had tendencies of a child one-third her age.

            "Now why'd you have to go and do that?" She demanded as he arose.        

            "Aww, c'mon Rei." He chastised. "Stop acting like a child."

            "Me?" She exclaimed. "You're the one playing the pranks in this house. Sometimes I feel like I'm babysitting a four year old in an eighty-year old man's body!"

            He brushed away her comments and smirked. 

            "Come now." He said, disregarding her fiery temper. "I'm about to serve some tea. Go take a shower. You smell."

            Before she could retort, he walked off, humming to himself. Rei stood there, mouth open as if so enraged to say anything. Finally, she just gave up and turned around, rubbing her temples as she sauntered back to her room. Unbeknownst to her, her grandfather had turned around halfway, watching her retreating back. He looked over his granddaughter and sighed dejectedly. Since when did kids grow up so fast? 

It seemed like yesterday she had shown up at the shrine in a chauffeured car. Her father was too busy that day and didn't have time to take his own daughter to the shrine so he figured that the car would be enough. Masaki Hino frowned slightly at the thought of his son. While he was incredibly pissed off at the man for abandoning both his daughter-in-law _and granddaughter, he felt sorry for him. He had missed out on two amazing and wonderful women. _

Rei's mother, Seti, was a great woman. She was graceful, beautiful, and incredibly knowledgeable. He saw more of her than he saw of his son, as she often visited to bring Rei to see her grandfather. Over the years, he had seen how she was getting weak but had always managed that encouraging, bright smile of hers for her daughter. Masaki took another glance as Rei entered her room, closing the screen behind her.

She had grown up so much. Then again, she was incredibly mature as a child. He had always been so mad at himself whenever he fell ill. That would mean the girl would have to manage both herself and the temple. But she had persevered, taking care of everything for her grandfather whenever he got sick. 

Masaki shook his head and proceeded to make that tea that he had promised Rei he would make. Just as he went to the front of the shrine to get into the front room, a flashy red car pulled up at the bottom of the hill where their temple resided. Masaki quirked an eyebrow. 'Who could that be?' He thought. He was answered as a dark-haired man rose from the car and smiled up at him. 

"Grandpa!" Masaki let out a huge laugh and spread his arms wide open as the young man leapt up the stairs and into his arms. 

"Haha! Yuuichirou!" The young man enveloped the older with a huge hug.

"Hey gramps. How's it been?" Masaki slapped him on the back.

"Great kiddo." He motioned towards inside the temple. "Come on. You can help me make some tea for us and Rei." 

Yuuichirou nodded and followed behind. His hair was now combed and slicked back into a ponytail and his face was shaved clean. He had left the temple a while ago and returned home. After doing so, he had taken to his family's company and was finally making a good life for himself. Despite that fact, he hadn't truly abandoned his dream of a music career. How could he? All in all, he was a whole lot more mature and serious than the scraggly young man that had stumbled upon the temple years ago. 

"So, Gramps," Yuuichirou began. "How's Rei been?"

"She's been good." Masaki nodded approvingly. "Her work at the company has done us a lot of good. She's been raking in a good amount of money lately." 

Yuuichirou nodded. "That's what I heard. A lot of people are beginning to recognize her at my family's company nowadays."

"Of course they'd recognize her! Her father's a statesman and her work has improved the company's progress threefold!"

For a while, the two became silent. Then, Yuuichirou broke the silence.

"Grampa, I've been getting some bad vibes lately and —"

He was cut off by Grampa holding up a hand to silence him. Yuuichirou noted that the old man had tensed up tremendously. During his stay at the temple he had learned to hone his senses and lately, he had been getting some VERY negative energies and his main concern was for Rei. He had figured out Rei's little secret about a year ago and had dutifully kept his trap shut about it both because he cared for Rei's safety and because of his great respect for the Scouts. He looked over Masaki and saw that the man's face was incredibly grim. Tiredly, he replied,

"I know what you're talking about." He looked over at Yuuichirou and the younger could see the pain that was in the man's eyes. He didn't want his granddaughter to ever fight again. For her to die before him…he couldn't bear the thought. Masaki moved the tea onto the table as he talked. 

"Just this morning," He said. "I knew something was wrong."

When Yuuichirou looked over at him quizzically, he continued. "I awoke this morning with a seriously bad feeling in my body. My first thought was to get to Rei. But when I came to her room, I saw something strange. She was tossing and turning in a horribly fitful sleep." He stopped and looked up, eyes glazed over.

Yuuichirou looked down. "Does that mean…?" To his dismay, Masaki nodded.

"Yes." He said. "It is her duty and she looks upon it as an honor to do so. So, I shall not interfere with it."

"Grandpa?" Rei's voice floated into the room. "Are you talking to yourself ag-"

She was cut off as she entered the room and spotted Yuuichirou. Letting out an out-of-character squeal of delight, she ran straight for him and the two embraced.

            "Oh my God!" She exclaimed. "Where the hell have you been lately?

Yuuichirou laughed and the three sat around together, drinking their tea. Rei smiled outwardly at them. Inside, however, she was filled with determination: Determination to fight and protect her princess and the people of this planet, especially these two men who loved her unconditionally. They didn't have to know that she had heard their conversation and they wouldn't have to worry about her. She would make sure of it. And they would not know of the sense of doom that was slowly enclosing in on her heart as she worried nonstop yet still managed to keep up her happy façade.

            _'Who were those people?'_ Her frustrated mind flashed silhouettes of the figures she had seen in her vision. This latest wasn't the first. There had been others and Rei had a feeling…Something BIG was coming. The visions had been coming and going, with almost every dream following the one before. Just tonight, the leader of the group in her dream finally made it through the portal. But to where? And why? Rei looked out the window. She had a strange feeling that when her questions were answered, it'd be like discovering her past life all over again.

In an alley in the slums of Japan:

            The three walked together, bundled up in their expensive coats that were either stolen or bought with the money they stole or got out of selling drugs. They loked tough enough, and one could tell they already had spilt blood out of a couple of innocents on their own time. They had roughed up a couple of people and they probably had their shares of rape and other crimes. But they hadn't killed, no. They wouldn't have the guts to do so. They were too cowardly to actually do such a thing. He snorted. They were tough-looking alright. But they were cowards in his opinion. They came past the alley, when one held up an arm to stop his comrade from moving forward.

            "Yo, bro. Check it out." The other two followed his eyes and found them lying on a certain lump of cloth in the partly-wet alley ground. From first sight, it looked like just another bum on the street trying to catch some shut-eye in what ever place he could. But closer inspection proved them wrong. 

            It was a girl. A fine one at that. She was propped up with her back leaning against the wall in a sitting position. She had a clear, peachy color face framed with long, black luscious wavy curls. The boys traded immoral thoughts and wicked grins before beginning to advance upon the unsuspecting girl.

            They got no closer than about four steps.

            A dark figure descended from the rooftop of one of the buildings that made up the alley, blocking them from the girl. All three took a step back, startled. He looked them all in the eye and they took another step back, repulsed. 

            "What the fuck?" He had red eyes. Not like the ones albinos had. More like demonic ones. They were red with tints of yellow-amber giving the impression that he literally had fire in his eyes. And he was angry.

            "I suggest that you all back away from here," He hissed, suddenly barring stark white fang-like teeth, "Before I get _really_ pissed."

            One of the three backed away even further, scared. The other two clenched their fists and took poor stances in getting ready to fight. The stranger from the sky just continued glaring. Suddenly, he smirked, the prospect of these bastards' slimy bodies strewn across the floor. He stooped and began to bend his knees, ready to dash at the three like one would when taking off from a sprint. At the last second, though, he was stopped.

            _Calm down, hon. _He looked over his shoulder to see that she had arisen and was looking over at him. _They're not worth one ounce of either our energies._

            His companion turned her blue-eyed gaze upon the unsuspecting thugs. She reached out at their minds and found them to be as manipulative and miniscule as she had thought. She grinned.

_            You didn't see anyone here. _She sent out soothingly_. You were on your merry way to turn in your gang friends to the cops. Go on, now. You don't want to waste any time, now do you?_

            Their gazes had turned blank, as if they were being possesed. Slowly, they moved out of the alley in a zombie-like manner, heading towards the nearest police department without any real idea as to why they were heading there. Once they were out of his line of sight, he turned back to her. Her blue eyes met his red ones. It was when she made a face that he realized that they were red. He blinked deliberately. She found herself staring into gorgeous blue orbs.

            He turned up to the rooftop of the building he had been on when the thugs approached. With one, agile leap, he landed there again. She followed his lead. Together, they scanned this city of Tokyo on the landmass called Japan. The girl smirked.

            "Maybe this won't be so hard after all."

~*chickay*~'s notes:

Hehe…Sorry for leaving on weirdo cliffies. Read the next one, it might give you guys some more info to the situation. A lot of you probably have a good idea as to what's going on. Review and let me know what you think so far. Please keep in mind that all the chatpers in this fic are gonna be updates on the scouts' lives so it's gonna be a good while until the real action begins. Oh, BTW, when I say scouts, I mean just the planetary ones. I haven't seen the Stars series (one major bummer of the U.S.) so I feel I don't have the talent to thoroughly describe the Starlights. So…sorru Starlights fans, this won't have them save for a few references to them or if I suddenly change my mind and put 'em in.

As to the questions as to where 'Unknown' is, all your questions shall be answered in due time, I promise!


	4. Part IIb Catching up with the bad guys

Disclaimer:      Look at **A/N.**

Looking Back

Part II.II

Location: Unknown

            She stood by the window, over looking the ruined city. She sighed. She really didn't see the point of all these battles. Personally, she found them useless. If they really wanted the city, they should've just asked her to take it over from the moment they got there. She could've done it and they knew it. She frowned, disturbed. It was that man. Lugaan should be the one in charge yet that man had practically full leave to do whatever the hell the wanted regardless what anyone else said. She gave out an unladylike snarl. 

            "Tsk, tsk, my dear." She spun around, startled. "Really, Nikai, I thought that those etiquette lessons had done you some good."  The younger girl found herself looking over at a tall woman decked out in white. She was wearing what the mortals on this planet would've called a 'tank top' years ago.

She had what these mortal would've considered a mini-skirt and a halter top that barely covered her stomach. When they came there, _he_ had insisted that they adjust to the alien's traditional dress code. Nikai herself had not done so, still clad in her native-styled, black-violet gown. The long sleeves aired out as they reached her wrists. The dress tightened at her chest then began to flow outwards from right below her breasts. Dark jewels glittered at the hem and along the sides of her slits that started mid-thigh. She frowned slightly inside. This woman always had a tendency to make her feel like such a child whenever she was around. And yet, she still looked up to her.

            Kiyomi smiled and strode to take her place by the girl. From far away, they looked like each other's counterparts. On one hand you had Kiyomi, clad in her clothes that she insisted on wearing since they were easier to train in with, her hair in its regular hairstyle. Nikai wondered how long it took the older woman to pull each waist-length, platinum strand into those mini braids that Kiyomi always wore. And then you had Nikai in her otherwise conservative-looking dress minus the low neckline and the high up slits that revealed twin alabaster legs. Her hair was another story. It was what these humans called dark orange. Today, it was pulled into thick braids that were twisted and pinned over the back of her head. Black jewels were strewn into her hair to match the black spiked-star embedded to her forehead that marked her high-ruling status.

            "Isn't it beautiful?" Kiyomi asked, breathlessly, her light blue eyes that resembled ice scanning the destruction of the city. Nikai quirked an elegant brow then shrugged.

            "Sure," She replied nonchalantly, "If you like that sort of senseless, idiotic battle cries and weapon-swinging crap."

            Kiyomi looked over at her and gave Nikai a sympathetic smile. She placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Aw, c'mon love." She said. "You'll get a chance to use those powers in no time. Just give Soren his leave for now, alright, doll? Lugaan knows what he's doing allowing that man to do what he will."

            "Soren is a sadist looney." Nikai said dryly.

            "A sadistically intelligent looney." Kiyomi replied, winking. Nikai couldn't help it. She giggled. For a high class ranking warrior, Kiyomi had a good sense of humor. _I suppose she needs it. Nikai thought. __Who wouldn't need some laughs after all those killing sprees?_

            Both turned and began walking. "Soren may not be the most level-headed headed person," Nikai scoffed loudly. "But he knows his stuff." Kiyomi said, grinning. She shrugged. "Plus, Lugaan feels that Soren is perfect for helping us track the escapees."

"You think Lugaan knows everything, don't you?" Nikai said slyly. Despite her uncaring shrug, a frustrated blush had crept over Kiyomi's cheeks. 

"That's another thing I don't get." Nikai continued, frowning. "Why are we trying to get those escapees? We've captured their leaders already. What harm could they possibly do to us now? They're helpless."

            They had arrived at the throne room. Nikai glided up to the dais and seated herself on the gleaming black throne seat. Kiyomi took her place to Nikai's right and leaned against the throne. 

            "Apparently, the escapees used some sort of portal to escape." Kiyomi replied. "Lugaan has reason to think that they've escaped to some near by plane. The strange things is…the place that they're in now seems to be in parallel with this place."

"So what does that mean?" Nikai questioned. "They're on some nearby planet or what?"

"It could mean anything, really." Kiyomi replied, shrugging. "It could mean that they're still on this planet just in a different place. But we doubt that since this planet is almost completely under our control. They could've jumped to one of the nearby planets but we seriously doubt that as well."

"Hmm…" Nikai murmured. "What does Soren have to say about this?"

"Go on ahead and ask him." Kiyomi replied, nodding her head at the direction they had come from.

            Both looked and true to her word, Soren was striding over to them, a pack of his other protectors following him, looking like they were carrying something. Nikai kept her shudder from visibly showing. He was grinning.

            "Ahh, Lady Nikaleria," He cooed, bowing exaggeratedly. His priests followed his example. He arose and met Kiyomi's amused/annoyed stare. Soren's smile somewhat dropped. He was never too fond with the Lady's personal bodyguard, or the fact that she was a woman. Kiyomi grinned back at him sarcastically. She never really appreciated the chauvinistic bastard. But hey, if he got the job done…

            Soren recaptured his sly grin, flashing his too-white teeth. His black hair was slicked back wetly over his scalp.

            "My dear Lady, I would like to present you with this," He waved a hand to his guards and two of them stepped forward, lugging an armor-clad warrior, bearing the symbol of the city that they had just destroyed. Together, the two warriors threw the body to the ground. "The High General of this city's _former_ rulers."

            Nikai raised an eyebrow. "_She is a high general?" _

            The figure on the floor began to pick itself off the ground. Dark blue eyes glared from behind the boyishly cut short black hair.

            "Yes, indeed, my lady." Soren replied eagerly, sounding as if on the verge of giggles. "And we believe that she can help us find the escapees."

            The High general scoffed loudly. Daring to lift her eyes to the Lady, she said. "Like I'd ever help you monsters catch up to them."

            The air in the room prickled and in a second, the high general gave out a shout of pain before passing out. From behind the unconcious woman, Soren had strecthed out his hand, steam still rising from his palm from the blast he just sent at her.

            "She should not speak so brazenly to you, my Lady." He said to her inquiring look.

            "Way to go Soren," Kiyomi mocked. "It'll be days before she actually wakes up and we can get some information out of her."

            Soren's beady eyes got beadier if possible. He snarled in rage. "Why you little-"

            "Enough!" A commanding voice broke out. The guards behind Soren fell to their knees and Kiyomi nodded her head in acknowledgment. A tall, lean man walked into the room, his light brown hair tied back as usual, dressed in his militia clothing.

            "Commander Lugaan," Nikai began, addressing the man. "Have you anything to report to us?"

            He nodded. "Yes, my Lady." He motioned to the prone figure on the ground. "I have found a means to persuade this woman to tell us all her knowledge of the current location of the escaped warriors."

            "Would this 'means' have the action of intercourse somewhere along the plan?" Nikai requested immediately at his last words. Soren and Kiyomi's faces twisted into disusted glares as a blush overtook Lugaan's face.

            "M-My Lady?" He stammered.

            Nikai gave an irritated smirk. "You're my top military leader, Lugaan. Throughout this process, all our victories were due in most part to you. I praise your military tactics but that does not obscure the fact that you are a 'playboy' as they would call you on this planet. However, I must tell you now, this woman is far too important to us for you to mess with her, understood?"

            Lugaan bowed right after he got over the fact that his Lady had just accused him of being a male hoe. It didn't help that he was bowing to a child. Well...A child that could kill him torturingly slowly at a mere blink of an eye. He grinned behind his bow. _Her spies are getting good._

            "As you wish my Lady," He said. "However, I was talking about another means to bring this woman to assist us."

            Nikai leaned on her hand. "We're listening commander."

            By the time he was finished, all occupants of the room were grinning in satsifaction.

~*chickay*~

See? It's here. Well, wherever _here_ is. But you guys got a glimpse of the baddies. Well…I think I'm spent on the stuff I've written that I planned to let you guys see. Basically, all that you have read was written months in advance and now I'm almost dry on new chapters. Review and give me the encouragement to go on! ...Please?


	5. Part III Ami

Disclaimer:      Look at **A/N.**

Looking Back

Part III

Location: A suburban area in Germany

            She growled irritatingly. Her green eyes flicked over these assholes who suddenly decided she was a yummy piece of meat and advanced upon her. Her mouth twisted to a disgusted snarl. They didn't stand a chance against her, she knew that. Their clothes were too big and hefty for them to move around in. She allowed her anger to course through her veins, allowing her body to adjust to the cold weather. These bitches were going to get all that they deserved. She took mental note of her surroundings. It sure as hell wasn't the setting she had left. A twisted feeling of happiness and regret knotted her stomach. An image of an armor-clad figure and a pair of dark blue eyes flashed in her mind. She glanced at the sparkling silver object wrapped around her wrist, determined.

            _Hang on a little longer. _She pleaded, knowing that the figure couldn't hear her. She took up a fighting stance, realizing that her energy was drained and that she would probably pass out once she finished off these bastards. Oh well. _I'll be back soon._

            To the lusty strangers in front of her, she snarled, her eyes suddenly flashing blue. "C'mon boys." She purred. "Let's see what you've got."

Location: Germany, Mizuno residence

Ami blinked her eyes at the invading sunlight. She frowned slightly as her eyes began adjusting to the light. Drowsily, she sat up on her bed, glancing outside her flat's huge window. Germany was a pretty decent place. At least the part of the city that she lived in. She had made a good decision in coming here. Japan was her home and all…but sometimes…you just had to learn how to move on. Her blue eyes frosted over as she thought of her last two months in Japan…about two or three years ago.

She and Ryo had married each other about a year or so after their last battle with Galaxia. It was a very beautiful wedding and quite out of the blue for Ami. Granted, she had already finished all her required college credits and had already received job offers from a lot of very prestigious businesses and labs worldwide so there was really no need for her to worry about her academic works. And so, they were married. They spent about a year getting themselves settled on a cozy apartment in Tokyo so that Ryo could go to work there and Ami could be close to her friends. They were very happy. Ami had finally found someone she could love wholeheartedly and who loved her in return. But, like the life she had led for quite some time, Ami had learned to brace herself for whatever Fate dealt her with. 

Yet, this time, Fate was proving itself as cruel as Chaos. Ami had watched Ryo, in their car, skid across the slippery pavement and crash into another car from the sidewalk. At first, she had screamed in terror and anguish. Then her entire body numbed over as if too many emotions were fighting for control and her emotional drive just overloaded. As a final slap in the face,  Fate had made it so that Ami stand right outside the Doctor's office at that time. She would never forget that day. It was the day she had lost a loved one…and learned of another one growing in her.

She was at the hospital that day and had found out that she was two months pregnant.

He had died instantly and hadn't suffered one bit. That was one consolation she received. Yet she was scarred. Her baby would live life without a father to watch over it. Her friends had all held her close and cried with her. Setsuna had visited her in a dream. She was not permitted to leave her work and so couldn't offer her condolences in person. However, even time couldn't step separate comrades. And when Setsuna had told her it would all be okay, Ami was obliged to believe her. Setsuna was not only the oldest, but probably the wisest one out of all of them. Plus, the rare, sweet smile on senshi of time's face assured Ami that the future would hold a brighter future for her and her baby.

            Ami brushed her short hair behind her ear and turned to look at the sleeping form on her bed. Isis lay on the bed in a peaceful slumber. Her midnight hair fell about six inches below her shoulder. As Ami pushed aside a stray strand of hair off her daughter's face, the child's eyes fluttered open. Cerulean blue clashed with its icy counterpart as Isis stared into her mother's eyes. She yawned and stretched her little arms and Ami giggled. She was so cute. At age three, Isis was completely adorable. She was born in Japan and it would always be her true home…just not now. But she was too young to comprehend that. Even more, she was too young to take in the fact that her mother was an ex-super heroine. Then again, at what age could any child take such news it?

            Luna and Artemis hadn't found any planetary powers within Isis when she was born. However, Luna said that this did not mean that Isis was completely devoid of any powers. They could be just dormant, like all the girls' powers were before Luna and Artemis reawakened them. Ami sighed inwardly. With all her heart and soul, she hoped that Isis would never ever become a scout. It would be far too much for Ami to take.

            "Morning sleepy-head." Ami whispered. The child giggled. 

            "Good morning mommy." She whispered back as her mother leaned in and gave her a hug. 

            "C'mon baby." Ami said. "Mommy's got work to do today. Go get ready, okay?"

Isis smiled and obediently nodded her head before stretching once more and then left the room to take a shower. Ami smiled as she watched her daughter leave before turning her gaze outside the window again. 

            Yes, she did have a lot of work that day. As the head doctor for her hospital committee, she had many responsibilities. However, family always came first for this woman. Speaking of family…

            Ami had stood up and happened to glance at the table by her bed. A silver framed photo stared up at her. She picked it up and traced the happy smiles of her best friends. It was taken when they were still teenagers, during their sophomore year at one of their picnics. Ami was looking at her empty hands, shocked. An exasperated Makoto was in the background, holding her missing book and looking at the mathematical equations with distaste. Usagi was stuffing her face with Mako's goody treats on the picnic blanket while Minako looked on at her laughingly and Rei was caught in mid-headshake of exasperation. 

            She had several other photos of them. All of them, including Haruka and Michiru and other friends from high school. She treasured those photos almost as much as she treasured the real thing. She smiled sadly. Oh how she missed them.

She would go back to Japan. Not now. But soon. She would go back home to them, her family. Just…when her heart was ready to come home. Japan held many memories for her, not just that of Ryo. But also of her close friends who showed her what it was to just kick back and have fun. Yes, she would one day come home to her comrades for centuries. Just not now.

            She had just tied her hair up after putting on her suit when she heard someone call for her.

            "Mommy?" Ami glanced at her doorway and smiled. Isis' small formed was engulfed in a fluffy white towel and her hair was dripping wet, the water from both her hair and body accumulating to the carpet floor.

            Ami smiled and walked over to her daughter's room to get help her get dressed. Her long fingers tied Isis' midnight mane into pigtails and fitted her into a pale blue skirt that came to her ankles and a white turtle neck. Ami left and came back into the room with Isis' coat when she found Isis holding out something to her.

            "Mommy, you can't forget this!" She called enthusiastically. Ami felt her heart swell. It was a gleaming silver locket with intricate designs surrounding a diamond-shaped sapphire at the center. Usagi and the others had given it to Ami before she left Japan and Ami, in turn, had passed it on to Isis. She gingerly clasped the necklace around her daughter's neck and handed Isis her coat. 

            "C'mon, sweety. Let's go."

            As they stepped outside of the building to retrieve their car, a rush of cold wind swooped past her, sending chills down her spine as Ami opened her car. Abruptly, she spun around, apprehensive eyes scanning her surroundings. Seconds later, she stopped and chastised herself. What was she doing? Looking for youmas? She sighed as she strapped herself in and made sure Isis had her seat belt on as well. _Knock it off Ami. This is __Germany__, your new home. __Japan__ and its scout business is all behind us now. She glanced at her mirror and saw Isis idly playing with a doll. She smiled softly. _Yes. This is a new life for the both of us. I can't let old spirits of the past get me down. _She gripped the steering wheel with determination. __I won't._

            About an hour later, they had pulled up to the hospital. Ami dropped her daughter off at the day care center and grabbed her lab coat before entering the elevator.

            "Ms. Mizuno!" Ami pressed the open button on the elevator pad just in time to let in a blonde man also clad in a doctor's lab coat. She smiled softly.

            "Good morning Franz." Dr. Franz Cartier smiled over at her as the elevator's door closed. He was relatively tall, 5'8", with dark grey eyes. He was a pediatrician and also had a very obvious crush on Ami. Well, obvious to everyone but her anyways. "You know, you can just call me Ami. We're friends now."

A blush crept onto his face as he nodded. "Sure thing Ms.- uh, Ami." He replied as the elevator door opened. Hesitating carefully, he began to say, "Uh.. Ami I-"

            "Ami! There you are!" Franz was cut off by a bubbly, curly red-head that approached Ami. She looped an elegant arm through Ami's petite one and began to chatter off with that day's business. "I am so sorry to do this to you, but unfortunately, there was this serious screw-up at Richard's department and we need you to help us sort it out. And-"

            Ami waved to Franz apologetically as Farah dragged her aside. Farah Charles, her German-speaking American co-worker, very much reminded Ami of Makoto and Minako. She was tall and physically built, despite what her lab coat hid and she had bright sparkling emerald eyes that reminded Ami of Minako's eyes whenever she spotted a cute guy. She towered Ami by a good three inches with her 5'6". Farah was divorced with two daughters. Their father was way off the coast of Cancun with a new mistress every other weekend at his beach getaway. Isis and her daughters got along fairly well but Isis would be attending school in while.

            "…with Michal away on his second honeymoon he's not expected to be back in a while and- what the hell?" Ami tuned back in just in time to hear Farah's hiss. The ER doors swung open and the paramedics ran in with a prone body on the stretcher. Both women raced over to catch up with the speeding stretcher.

            "What happened?" Farah demanded in German. 

            "The girl was found on an open street in the suburbs." He replied. "Witnesses said that a couple of guys had tried to gang up on her but somehow, she fought them off. Right after that, she abruptly passed out."

            "Have Yancy check up on her about this and get her bandaged up. While you're at it,-" Ami somehow blocked off Farah's orders as she continued to practically run to keep up with the medics. The girl lying there looked harmless enough. Her dead-straight hair was a shiny gold color, pulled into a half-tail to avoid it from falling onto her face. She was dressed in a very casual button-up dress-shirt and dark brown pants and black, two-inch boots. She was covered from head to toe with dirt from the scuffle she just probably got out of. What surprised Ami was that this girl was able to withstand the coldness of this cold front in such flimsy clothing. 

"Ami!" She turned just as Farah called her. "Franz just called you from his department. He said that Mrs. Klein has arrived a couple of days earlier with her pregnancy in tow."

            Ami made a face and began turning the other way, but not before glancing at the figure on the stretcher. A glint of silver caught her eye from the victim's right wrist. Soon, the paramedics rushed through a door and the girl was gone from her view. Ami hurried off to her post, but the pretty blonde girl on the stretcher never seemed to leave her mind.

            Just as Ami left, the girl opened up one tired green eye. She smirked to herself. Those bastards were pushovers. She had heard of these hospitals. They'd take care of her but she would be gone before they had a chance to do any check ups on her. The probably would want to keep her after they saw her blood results. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ami's retreated blue head. Her green eyes narrowed warily.

            _Well_. She thought somewhat laughingly. _This cuts down on a lot of my work. Oh well…I just hope she's not so horribly prickly like I heard. Otherwise, I'll probably end up getting a workout._

            With that final thought, she drifted off to sleep again.

            _Hmm…I wonder how everyone else is doing._

~*chickay*~

::finishes typing:: Woo hoo! I kick ass! *ahem* Well, there goes another chapter. Yeah…Ami's changed and Ryo died. Don't worry, she won't be staying sigle for a long time. Hehe…Questions & comments you guys have can be sent to either my email or just gimme a review and lemme know what you think.


	6. Part IV Makoto

Disclaimer:      Look at **A/N.**

Looking Back

Part IV

Location: Woods in France

            It truly was a beautiful day. Partly cloudy with peace at every corner. Or…every tree, she guessed. Makoto eyed the woodland forest before her and smiled softly. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. She leaned against her car and closed her eyes, relishing the beautiful moment.

            _Ring. Ring. Ring. _

            She growled. Damn portable technology! Snarling irritably, she took out her cell phone. Before the other person had time to talk, she practically yelled,

            "This better be good otherwise I will hop into my jeep and haul ass back to personally kick _your ass for butting in on _my_ vacation time!"_

            "I-I'm so sorry Ms. Kino!" Came the shuddering voice of Seth, the man she left responsible for her international chain of restaurants. "But we ran into major difficulty concerning that Radei wedding we're catering next week and…"

            Makoto rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples in annoyance. All she asked for was two weeks of peace. And less than five minutes of her arrival at her summer house she's already getting calls from people she had left hundreds of miles away. After settling the mix up of fifteen roast ducks not fifty, and pointing out getting out the cheaper dishes for the Greek wedding that weekend, she said goodbye to Seth, turned off her phone and tossed it into the backseat of her Jeep. Even if she got any calls, she wouldn't be able to hear them

            She unloaded her things from the back of her car and went inside her summer house. Her colleagues had been surprised that Makoto had opted to drive all the way to her summer house when she could've just bought a plane ticket. Makoto shuddered at the mere thought. Even after years of losing her parents, she still couldn't get over her fear of planes. Shrugging the thought by her, she continued her way towards the house.

She had someone come there a few days ago to make sure everything was in order by the time she got there. She eyed the spotless room and nodded approvingly. Checking the fridge and realizing it was fully stocked, she settled in and headed outside in her white shirt, blue shorts, cap, water bottle, hiking boots, and swimsuit underneath.

            Makoto had missed the simplicity of life. Her restaurants had raked in a lot of money for her and she had been able to establish a good amount of money as of late. However, besides giving of a good amount of it to charity, she really had no other idea how to spend it all. She had hoped to be settled down with a family by now, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

            _Then again, _She thought amused,_ I never really hoped to be a super hero from another planet. But like I was able to avoid that._

            Unlike Ami, she made regular visits to Japan, almost one every month. She missed her little blue-haired friend but she, too, understood what it was like to lose someone you held very dear to your heart. Ami would come back when she was good and ready, whenever that was. Makoto mused over as to how Isis might be doing. She would be what now? Two? Three? Kids grow up so fast. Hopefully Chibiusa wouldn't follow that trend. Makoto had visited the happy couple a few months ago to greet the baby. Makoto had nearly passed out on the major energy vibes the baby was giving out. Although, with Usagi and Mamoru right beside the little girl, it was hard to tell who gave out the most.

            Thinking about the happy family, Makoto couldn't help but sigh.  Usagi was so lucky to have what she had. A caring husband and a beautiful child. Makoto had wished for that since the days of fairytales. But like that was going to happen any time soon. She had been out several with many men. Sadly, a majority of them were out for her money, were intimidated by her money, were intimidated by her strength, or were just plain jerks. Apparently, not many men could handle their women raking in more dough than they were. Makoto rolled her eyes at the thought. She could almost hear Rei-Rant #7: Chauvinistic Males. She had heard much of Rei's success back in Japan. Though the fiery priestess didn't really appreciate all that she had acquired from her father, she was somewhat grateful for her father's people skills. Usagi, Rei, Hotaru, Haruka and Michiru were the ones who stayed behind in Japan. Though, Haruka and Michiru often went for trips around the world every month though not together. From what Makoto was able to gather, the two had grown apart in love-interest sense a while ago and had officially broken up about a month or so ago.

She, Ami, and Minako had chosen to reach as far as they could. Amusingly enough, almost all the scouts had wonderful success with all that they strived for.

Thinking of her friends, her eyes rested on a flower growing between the cracks of a rock on the path. Luna said that they weren't supposed to use their powers very often, but hey. Like Makoto had had any fun in the last few years. Bending down, she caressed the tiny bud. Closing her eyes, she willed her energy to surround the tiny plant. She could almost see her green energy swirling about the plant, urging it to grow. When she opened her eyes, she saw that not only the flower before her had bloomed, but every plant and/or flower by her had taken to a full bloom. Colors sprang from within the lifeless rocks and the dull tree. She grinned. It appears that her powers had been growing without her noticing it. She beamed at herself proudly.

For her early years, she had faced much discrimination by her peers due to her size and the rumors that idiots had spread of her beating up innocent people. That was a big part as to why she didn't date much in her teen years. So many guys were intimidated and scared of her to go out with her. She rolled her eyes at the though._ Males._ She thought to herself. 

_If only those gossiping idiots were to actually get to know you, girl!_ Came Usagi's voice in her ear. _They missed out on someone wonderful._

Makoto came to a sloping, rocky trail. She knew at the end of it, she would run into the lagoon that was fed by a waterfall. The prospect of swimming the beautiful clear water of that lagoon caused her to hasten her pace.             She didn't come here very often but she always enjoyed her stays.

            However, after a few steps, the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up. Was she being watched? She glanced behind her quickly, hoping to catch a glimpse of…anything. By the time she darted back, she saw nothing other than the path she had just gone through. However, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement. And it sure as hell wasn't the wind. 

            _Hmm. You don't wanna get caught, fine_. She grinned_. Let's see just how you can escape my little energy scan._

            She stood perfectly still at her point and closed her eyes, relaxed. With her energy, she began to create an ever-expanding perimeter check about her. And then, she sensed it. About fifteen or twenty feet away from her. Wait. It was starting to move? Yes, it was moving…and fast. Whoever it was, they had gone for about fifteen feet from Makoto to over thirty. She frowned, calling back her energy. Did whomever it was sense her energy check? But that was impossible. Only she and the other scouts could sense if they were doing energy checks. 

            Cautiously, she turned around in a circle, her green eyes scanning the tree tops. Warily, she turned back around, heading for the lagoon. Any normal person would've gone to the nearest police station. However, Mako had a feeling that no government official could help her out. If anything, they would say that she did need to get out and was only seeing things. She chuckled mildly, thinking of her possible explanatin to the cops.

_Oh, gee officer. I didn't really see or hear anyone coming after me in broad daylight but my supernatural Jovian scout powers told me that I was being watched. Do you think you could help me?_

Makoto giggled as she peeled off her shirt and shorts and got ready to jump into the lake. The cops would probably think of her as crazy. Besides, like she could ever be considered 'normal'. She'd just have to handle it on her own. Thoughtfully, she clenched and unclenched her fist, producing sparks around her hand. She grinned. Oh well. Whoever it was, better not try to interrupt her vacation time. Otherwise…

            Makoto quickly spun around and aimed at a huge boulder standing at a height of about fifteen feet that was located about twenty feet away from her. With a loud battle cry, she unleashed a swirling thunder/wind punch at the subject. She put up an electrical forcefield about her to protect herself from the rock debris after her attack crushed it.

            _Hmm…I need a workout. _She thought, noting that, a while ago, she could've destroyed somehting like that boulder without leaving a trace of it behind. Making a mental note to put in some training time during her stay, she turned around and jumped into the lagoon, creating a huge splash as her body collided with the calm waters' surface.

Location: An area getting further away from Makoto by the second

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _

That was the basic thought running through his brain as he continued to jump from branch to branch and tree to tree. _I cannot believe I almost got caught. Damn. Chances are she already knows someone's here. He mentally sighed. How could he be so careless? __Yeesh, he is so gonna kill me._

He had been surprised when he awoke and found himself in the forest area. He wondered just for how long he had slept before taking to the trees to find out where he was. A couple of hours later, he had sensed someone using a good amount of magic energy- without getting tired. Curious, he had followed the energy source until he found her. He stood there for a while, amazed at the blooming flowers that she had been able to create in less than five minutes. It was then that no doubt dared to cross his mind. _This is her. This was his target. _

            Of course, he was an idiot to allow even a bit of himself get caught in her little check there. Looking from where he came from, he realized that she had retrieved her energy. He stopped his activity for a moment and rested on the branch he had landed on. He leaned against the trunk to contemplate his current situation. When he had first seen her, he had thought thtat this would be easy. He hadn't expected for both of them to be out where civilization was far, far away. But like he was complaining. Their isolation would've made it easier for him to reveal himself to her without risking public exposure. But now that she suspected his prescence, this was sure to complicate things.

            Just then, he felt an energy blast come from the woman's direction and was almost blown of his branch because of the after vibes it sent out. He winced. Wow. She was pissed... and powerful.

            He grinned. 

            He needed some practice anyway.

~*chickay*~

Well, looks like Mako's looking up for a challenge. Can she hold out against this new stranger? Oh…zee plot thickens! Are these new strangers good or (dumdumdum) bad? There's only one way to find out (aside from telepathically reading my mind). Next one is Minako's and then I'll focus on the Outers. Gimme some feedback on what you guys think so far.  Well…good night!


	7. Part V Minako

Disclaimer:      Look at **A/N. BTW, Thank you soooo much for those who reviewed. It really gives me an awesome boost to keep on writing. Also, there is no 113.4 FM station called Nightshade in Miami. Trust me. I live there. **

Looking Back

Part V

Location: Nightshade radio Station in Miami

"Yo, yo , yo , yo, Yo! Good morning Miami! This is your favorite song-bird Robin Lonei on MIA's most wanted and loved radio station, 113.4 FM Nightshade. Now today we have a very _very_ special guest in the house; A certain charming woman who is still riding out her success wave since her first outstanding appearance in _Aphrodite. Yes, people, you know who I'm talking about. Ladies and gents, turn up your radios for the goddess of love and beauty herself, Mina DuBaer!"_

Minako Aino, alias Mina DuBaer (stage name), leaned in on the mike laughingly. "It's good to be here, Robin."

The dark-skinned woman in opposition to her waved her hands dismissively, her blonde-streaked braids swishing in the air.

"Puh-lease!" She replied with a wide smile. "It is an honor to have you here with us, hon. Not too many radio stations can say they've had the pleasure of having the newest star sensation of America gracing their airwaves."

Mina laughed. "Thank you very much."

"You are absolutely welcome." Robin shifted her position to cross her long legs then continued. "Now, we're pretty damn sure that just about everyone who's listening has heard of you. Then again, after all the glitz and glam you've been exposed to, it's hard to imagine that no one hasn't heard of you. For those who've been living under a rock for the past three years, Mina DuBaer, England-native, has been steadily gaining national fame ever since she starred in her first film, _Aphrodite_, about three years ago. Just recently she starred in _White Moon, which has also become a national hit. Dang girl! You've been busy!"_

Mina laughed once more and nodded her head. "Oh yeah. Everything has just been so crazy and fast every since _Aphrodite that I'm somewhat still in shock of it all."_

Robin's smoky voice filled the air. "Tell us about it girl. I understand that a short while before you did _Aphrodite that you did a couple of modeling shoots. Now these weren't just any regular modeling shoots. These were done exclusively between you and the Japanese model only known as 'Serena'. Now, as I understand it, you two have known each other before the shoot?"_

Minako nodded her head, smiling. Serena was Usagi's stage name. She had had tons of fun doing those cover shoots with her friend. 

            "Yes. As a matter of fact, we sort of grew up together." Robin raised an elegantly plucked eyebrow.

            "Is that so?" She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Do tell."

            "Well," Minako began. "She and I met each other during our high school years in Japan. We became very good acquaintances and we're still good friends now."

            Minako conveniently left out the fact that they had known each other before the beginning of high school as well. Usagi and she figured that it would be much better if the media didn't fully associate either woman with each other. It would be nice for publicity but not so nice if anyone were to catch wind of their constant associations with certain…mishaps back in Japan. 

Robin nodded. "Wow. That's pretty sweet. Hey, wait a minute. You lived in Japan?"

Mina smiled and the other woman's skeptical tone. "Yes. I transferred there from England around my freshman year and I just left home about three years ago."

Robin did some quick calculation. 'Hmm…she's about twenty four now. She just said she came here around three years ago. So that means…'

Her eyes bulged. "Damn girl! You spent one hell of a time there."

Mina nodded. "Yup. About six years I believe. I can't really tell you how long I stayed there. After a while I just started settling down and I still consider Japan as my true home."

Robin smiled. "Well ain't that peachy? Moving along, tell us all what we all wanna hear about, honey. Who's at the top of the Goddess of Love's list?"

            Minako's brilliant smile didn't falter. "Actually, there's no one at the time being." When Robin raised her eyebrow once more, Minako continued. "Well, for one thing, yes I was dating Gregory Jones for quite a short amount of time during and after the production of _White Moon_. But, as the media has told you all, we have broken up. In all honesty, I am currently single and by the looks of my schedule, I won't be having time for one in quite a while." She ended with a laugh.

            Robin laughed with her. "You hear that boys? Maybe one of you can catch lady love over here. Moving along…"

            Minako continued to exchange information with Robin for the next few minutes. In truth, she was very busy lately. She hardly had time to relax ever since _White Moon came out a few months ago. She already had requests for future movies and her agent/best friend in the states, Dara, was very excited in getting her the best leading role possible. Minako, however, just wanted some time to relax. Sitting in the room with Robin, her mind drifted off to the possibility of going home soon. It had been a while since she took a vacation and she needed one now badly. Dara would protest against it, naturally. But she would eventually give in. Dara understood the crap Minako had had to go through lately. _

            Gregory was truly just a stupid publicity stunt that she hadn't even wanted to go through with in the first place. But after finally going through it and find out just how huge of a dumbass Gregory truly was, she broke it off immediately. To add to her troubles, her father had been calling from England, saying how her mother had been having some medical troubles as of late.

She and her mother had never gotten along very well. Minako couldn't say what it was but they just couldn't get along. It was probably the fact that Minako had always had different views as to how her life should go. Her mother had always tried to make her go to college and give up her 'useless dreams' of becoming a star. Little did her mother know, Minako had already been taking on modeling as a career during high school. Unfortunately, her parents eventually found out after spotting her on the front cover of a magazine with Usagi. After a very heated confrontation with her parents, they had become severely estranged and it didn't have to be said aloud for Minako to know that they would definitely cut off their allowance to her. It was then that she moved to America. Dara had also been on the end of her career as a talent agent when Minako walked in to her office in L.A. Immediately she knew she had struck upon a hit and took Minako under her wing. Ever since she had become known to the public, she had been an instant hit. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to have enough time to do much else. She was looking forward to a vacation right about now.

Thinking of Japan always made her homesick. She missed everything about the place; Usagi and the others, the arcade, the adventures, the memories. She loved it there. Granted, she loved it in America too. Hell, she had about three houses in the states. But then again, home was where the heart is. Unfortunately, her heart so far belonged to her work and to her friends. Speaking of companions, she missed Artemis too. 

She had left him back in Japan in Hotaru's care. He had protested vehemently but she had pointed out that Diana still needed to be born since Chibi-Usa was around now and Luna would miss him terribly not to mention he'd probably hate having to move from place to place so often. Minako wouldn't be able to make enough time for him even if she was Setsuna. Apparently, Luna was probably living with Hotaru as well, taking into consideration the fact that Usagi and Mamoru were both busy people and Chibi-Usa was more than enough for the two.

            She smiled warmly at the thought of Japan and her feline friend. Yes, she decided, answering one of Robin's questions. I'll go home. I can put off at least a month's worth of work…

Location: Rooftop of the Nightshade radio station

            He glanced over at the screaming fans surrounding the entrance of the station. He rolled his eyes at the scene. Were all people in this dimension this pathetic? His portal had opened up about a mile or so away from his target; an after-effect of his destruction of the portal gate. It hadn't taken him very long to locate his target's position. Then again, he found her position without using any of the devices his teammate had created for them. He glanced over at the screaming crowd once more, shaking his head. 

He pushed aside several silver, spiky strands away from his face, absently twirling the end of his platinum ponytail between two fingers. A touch of sadness glazed over his amber catlike eyes. Absentmindedly, he brushed his hand over his lips. He really shouldn't have done that.

FLASHBACK   

…_the two stared at each other for a while. Abruptly, both reached for each other into a kiss before reluctantly pulling away. He grazed his hand on her face softly and she gripped that hand. Wordlessly, she squeezed his hand before stepping into the gate. He stood there and watched as her petite figure stepped through the gate._

END    

            It had been their first kiss to each other. It had been deep and lasted for what seemed to be centuries to him. He didn't want to let her go at that point. He had almost followed her into her portal had his leader instincts not kicked in. He mentally kicked himself for not showing more emotion to her. And now, they were on a mission to determine their lives and the lives of their leaders. And their once chance was riding on strangers that would fight first then talk later.

            _Excellent timing._ He sarcastically commended himself.

Ear-piercing screams snapped him back to reality. He glanced over at the crowd, annoyed. But he saw why they started screaming. She had stepped out of the building and into the light, golden hair shining almost as brightly as the smile on her face. He cocked his head to one said, bemused. She didn't seem much of the ditz as he had heard her to be. Then again, looks could be very deceiving. He had heard of her accomplishments numerous times before. She was a walking legend. While almost every before him believed her to be a glamorous movie star, he understood her to be a killer with a dark side that completely contradicted her bubbly personality.

            His eyes narrowed to a glare. He didn't care what it would take. She would go along with their plan… he'd see to it for sure.

~*chickay*~

Woah! Are these guys good or bad? Hehe. Well that's for me to know and you to find out. Later…back to the unknown and then moving on to the Outers. Don't worry, I'm going to give these strangers names in maybe the next chapter or so. Finals…BLEH! School sucks. 

Here's to Baby Daydreamer Wiley and everyone else who's reviewed and encouraged poor lil me to continue with this! It has been greatly appreciated!!


	8. Part VI Back with the baddies

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, though I truly wish I did. In the meantime, just letting you guys know that these new enemies have nothing to do with Galaxia and that I did get the idea of using the bracelets from her but I can assure you that Galaxia is definitely not going to be in this fic. Also, I guess you could sorta rate this PG-13 for some very potty-mouthed language and innuendo. The captured High General's name will be revealed here too so you will be less confused as to who I'm talking about. Also, I have no idea about military rankings so I apologize for any mistakes. And, people, just to let you know, this is gonna be long.

Looking Back

Part VI

Location: Unknown

            The woman known as the High General Zero awoke in total and complete pain. She blinked her black-blue eyes several times before starting to sit up. A cramp revealed itself on her neck and she winced. She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, brushing aside some strands of her black short-cut hair, trying to douse the pain. 

It didn't work. 

She clumsily began to stand up, the action causing her knees to buckle and emitting a groan from the woman as she felt the sharp pain jolt throughout her back. Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes. The brightness of the room nearly blinded her. She was in a white room with one black wall, decked out in luxurious-looking furniture. Glancing about her, she realized that she had been sleeping on top of a fluffy bed. She scanned herself quickly. Slight panic arose in her as she realized her protective armor was gone. She was now wearing her 'civilian' clothing which consisted of her chain-mail that she usually wore underneath her armor, her steel-plated skirt that she wore for training, black leggings, and her favorite black boots. The chain-mail was spelled as to cling to her as a protective, second-skin. It cuffed around her neck and extended to her wrists.

It was then that she noticed the golden wrist bands. She studied them, tracing a finger along their surfaces, a bad feeling rising in her as she realized that these bands had no way of being opened manually. Perhaps, with her magic, she could…

Zero closed her eyes allowing her bluish aura surround her. To a watcher, you could see her magic swirling in and out through the bracelets as she searched for some way to get them off her. Suddenly, she let out a pained shriek as she fell to the ground on her knees, calling back her magic. Panting, Zero gazed at the bands. 

_W-What was that?_

She had controlled her magic to find the origins and weaknesses of the bracelets. However, she was jolted out from her reverie when something dark and evil struck back at her mental magic. Someone…someone spelled them so that whoever tried to pry them off magically some kind of black magic would strike back to the host's mind.

"It's quite a powerful spell, isn't it?" She jumped, surprised and turned around to face the speaker. She snarled, getting into a defensive position.

The man maintained his confident stance. He had light brown hair gathered into a ponytail that rested over his shoulder and hazel eyes that swirled with shades of green. He wore a black militia outfit lined with red braids that signified his position as a High General, much like herself. But even the stuffy clothing could hide the fact that the man had quite a well-toned body. He was (she admitted grudgingly) drop-dead gorgeous. However, from the looks of things, it was not a time for her to drool over his pretty face when he was obviously working for that girl. She tensed her whole body, preparing for a fight. 

"What do you want bitch?" He laughed at her sudden outburst. She narrowed her eyes at his casual attitude. "Something funny?"

"Oh, nothing really," He assured her. "Just that you look absolutely stunning when you're like that."

"Like what?" She retorted. "Pissed off?" She snorted loudly. Was this guy seriously hitting on her? Dumbass. 

"Really, General Zero, you should calm down." When she looked at him surprised, he said. "Your troops are quite loyal to you, though I highly doubt that 'Zero' is your real name. No, true beauty such as yourself must have a more beautiful calling than Zero."

He chuckled and it made her even more uncomfortable. He looked up straight at her black-blue eyes and chills raced down her spine as she cursed her visionary powers. They were so empty. His eyes were like black holes of hatred and cruelty and Zero screamed as images of his murders ran before her eyes. 

Zero was there at all of them, as him. 

She found herself engulfed by his memories, 98% of them consisting of his murders. She was shocked by the essence of flames, destrustion, chaos, death, and blood; essences of a life this man had surrounded himself with. Zero heard the shouts of numerous people, as if an entire planet gathered around one microphone and all began screaming and begging for mercy, cursing their destroyer all at once. She felt his hungry satisfaction growing with each mutilated, battered body that fell by his hands, pools of dark red beginning to spread from beneath the dead bodies as the stench of fresh blood infested the air.

As a High General, Zero had had her share of deaths. But she only killed if it was truly necessary. In all the murders before her eyes, none could ever be justified. With a cry, she flung her head back and brought her hands to cover her face at the throbbing of her brain. 

He glanced at the woman, somewhat concerned that their main lead to the escapees was suddenly having what looked like a seizure. Lugaan took a step towards her but was surprised when she suddenly looked up and placed one hand forward and he could go no further. He stood there against her force field, looking on contemplatively. He nodded his head in approval. 

"Not bad," He said, referring to her force field. "Usually no one can use any type of magic let alone put up a barrier with those bracelets."

Zero smirked, trying to block out the aftereffects of the memories she had seen when looking into his eyes. "Guess I just have more stamina than the rest."

He mirrored her smirk with his own evil version of it. "That's what I'm counting on." He brought up one hand facing her force field and she went flying across the room, colliding with one of the walls with a shout. Lugaan stayed where he was, watching her as she got back up and faced him with another defensive stance. He shook his head, somewhat annoyed. "You just don't give up do you?'

            Without waiting for a reply, he brought up his right hand, holding up his pointing and middle finger in a V position. He abruptly snapped them together and the two bracelets on Zero's wrists suddenly magnetized themselves to the other before her, acting like handcuffs. She gasped in surprise but had no time to think when he motioned with his two fingers for them to come closer to him. She found herself floating in midair, being brought closer to the monster unwillingly by the bracelets. 

            He chuckled eerily as she glared down at him. 

"You fucking bastard!" She fairly spat out. "Have you no sense of honor you scumbag? Or does the saying of not kicking your enemy when he's down not ring into your miniscule psyche?"

He raised an eyebrow at her ferocity. "Hmm," He muttered. "A feisty one." He grinned, flashing stark white teeth. He nodded his head in a sick, approving way. "I like."

Her eyes flashed to an angry pure-black. "Fuck you." 

He was knocked about over six feet from where he was standing. He sat up from his position by the wall. Rubbing the back of his head, he gazed over at the woman before him. She was once more in a fighting position, her hands balled into fists, apart from each other when his concentration broke and, in turn, had broken his link to them. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead, a sign of her exhaustion. After all, he thought bemusedly, she had just been captured by her own enemies and her magic was restrained by his bracelets. Not to mention that the magic that she was able to strain out would only exhaust her even further.

He stood up and brushed himself off. "I do not have time to argue with you." He stated calmly. "My Lady requests an audience with you so I must do what I am told."

With that being said, he once more snapped his fingers together and once more she became victim to the bracelets. She struggled for a moment, trying to pry her arms apart.

_Dammit!_ She cursed herself. _I'm too weak in this state. I'm going to have to rest and get more energy later. Wait a minute. Zero suddenly stopped her futile attempts to break his spell. __He's going to bring me to the Lady. That little girl… Doesn't he know that…?_

He eyed her, confused. She had been fitfully trying to get rid of the bracelets' powers over her and had suddenly stopped. A look of realization dawned upon her as she stopped fussing and lifted her dark eyes to glare into his. Grudgingly, she lowered her eyes and nodded her head in compliance. Lugaan looked at her, somewhat surprised. He had expected her to put up more of a fight but, surprisingly, she hadn't done so. He would've inquired what made her suddenly go along with him when a sharp voice entered his mind.

_Lugaan! Bring that girl here immediately. I truly hope you didn't forget what I warned you about._

He snapped his head up in surprise at Nikai's voice but replied, _Don't worry, my Lady. She is coming. It's just that it's taking her a while to get with the program._

_I don't tolerate excuses, Lugaan. _She snapped back at him_. Even if you are my High General. I have very short patience and I want that girl here now!_

He bowed his head slightly, knowing that her vision would let her see him._ Yes my Lady. We're on our way._

Lugaan looked over at Zero. His serious demeanor shifted to a cheery one. "Come on then. She's waiting." He turned around and faced the only black wall in the white room. With a sheer nod, the wall shifted open into either side and he walked on through. She followed behind him, her hands still bonded together. They walked together in silence. She took into her memory that the technology used to build this place was very advanced and also, she though startlingly, well-spelled. The black magic that floated around the place was almost incalculable. Someone had spent a good amount of time and power into creating this dark area. The question was, who and why? She glanced over at the man ahead of her. It was then she realized that it was only the two of them in the hallway, no other guards stood by.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll just take off?" Zero inquired, breaking the silence. "After all, I'm not only a High General but I'm very well-endowed with magic and the knowledge of how to use it."

He looked over his shoulder, flashing her a grin. "Of course I know that." He replied. "Which is why I cast a death and distance spell on those bracelets of yours. You see, if you get farther away from me than about two miles, the bracelets will send a nice little poison I concocted myself into your blood stream and you will die painfully slowly."

She glared at his back, more annoyed than angry. Suddenly her life depended on her closeness with this monster. What was his name again? 

Oh yes. Along with his memories of his deaths, she heard many soldiers of this enemy screaming for mercy from a 'Lugaan' character that appeared to be him. She shuddered. The man obviously had a very bad temper when defied and took it out very nicely on many of his own men. She noticed that they were nearing a huge room in which violet-black marble decorated the floors. Guards stood in every corner and a blood-red carpet leading to a black-marbled dais where a teenage girl sat upright. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes became fixated with the starkness of the young woman's ginger hair and piercing violet eyes. Her hair was only a dark orange and could never be considered anything else since it couldn't reach the intensity of the color red. But it was those eyes that drew Zero in. It was all she needed to confirm her thoughts. 

They were dark purple, almost black. Emptiness stared back as Zero looked into the young woman's eyes. Zero had to maintain her composure as she was hit by the girl's psyche. She couldn't let her enemies know that she had managed to read their leader with a mere glance. They'd kill her on the spot.

She grinned almost crazily. It was her! However, she remembered where she was and wiped the grin off her face. Despite her outward appearance, a deep-seated hope had begun to take root within her body as she continued to walk behind Lugaan. She took into consideration that sick man that had captured her right when the escapees had entered the portal room. She snarled. Also, Zero noticed another woman in the room. For that matter, the only other woman besides herself and the girl on the throne. She had her platinum hair into tiny braids and was sending a chilly glare towards her with her icy-blue eyes.

_Wait a sec._ Zero thought. _Why at me?_

It then dawned upon her of Lugaan's attachment to her. She rolled her eyes. _Great_. She now had made an enemy of some jealous harpy. What that woman could see in this monster was beyond Zero's understand.

"My Lady Nikai," He cooed, bowing before the young woman at the throne. "I bring you the prisoner."

"Now, now, Lugaan," Nikai chastised softly. "I'm sure that this prisoner has a name, don't you General?"

Zero glared. "I have no obligation to answer you bastards so therefore I won't."

A couple of guards that had been in the room pulled out their weapons, ready to defend their Lady's honor. However, Nikai just smiled. 

"Your stubbornness is to be expected." She said. "However, I wonder what could we do to possibly change your mind."

"How about diving head-straight into a hot lava pit and drowning there?" Zero suggested smugly.

The greasy man jumped in immediately. "Guards! Get rid of her now!"

"Don't you dare!" Nikai breathed just as several guards had taken a couple of steps towards the captive. "Go back to your positions." She commanded haughtily. Without moving her gaze from the captive, she said, "And Soren, please control that temper of yours."

The greasy rat bowed ass-kissingly low. "Yes your majesty."

"Now," Nikai pushed herself off the throne. "While your idea of a lava swim is quite amusing, I have a more effortless option at hand."

A wave of her hand gave permission to a pair of doors to the Lady's right to swing open. Three silhouettes began to enter the room, the one in the middle was obviously a prisoner. The High General's eyes widened at the sound of a very familiar voice.

"Lemme go you fucking bastards. God dammit! Lemme go! I swear to God all of you are gonna fucking suffer through some major excruciating torture before I send every single last one of you bastards to fucking hell!"

Her breathing increased as he came into light. The prisoner was wearing a battered military uniform that signified him as a colonel. However, he was kicking and yelling and futilely trying to pry his captors off him. He was incredibly gorgeous with a soft baby face that was incredibly angered now with crystal-clear blue eyes that she remembered so well. Before she knew it, she was already acting out of instinct. "Coram!"

He stopped struggling with his captors and suddenly looked over at her. His gorgeous blue eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her. 

"Z-Zero?"

Nikai stood on the dais, commending herself on how well the plan was working out. With a quick waft of her hand, the guards standing on either side of him let him go. 

"Coram!" He was already running towards her. Unlike her, he wasn't cuffed to anything as she was. She brought her locked wrists together around his neck and he held on to her tightly around her waist. They embraced each other for what seemed to be an eternity before pulling into a deep kiss. Upon pulling away, he brought his hands to cup her face, as if to make sure she was real.

"Oh, God, Zero," He whispered wistfully. "I heard about the attack on your HQ from some of your soldiers that were captured." He kissed her forehead roughly before shakily saying, "I thought you were dead."

The tone in his voice brought her eyes to water. "Likewise, you dummy." She muttered. Zero gazed at him lovingly. "I was so scared when I heard your troops were taken in. I thought I'd never see you again."

He laughed brokenly. "Like I'd ever leave you without saying good-bye." He chuckled. "You'd probably bring me back to life just to kill me again."

She laughed along with him. "You're right." She suddenly stopped laughing and hugged him tighter. "But if I were to see you again, I wouldn't be able to bear letting you go."

"Aww…How sweet." Zero let out a shriek of protest as Coram was violently pulled away from her and left to hang in mid-air. The man, Lugaan, materialized behind suddenly appeared behind Coram, holding a dagger against the other man's throat. Zero turned around to glare at the white-haired woman who had given her the evil eye. The woman only smirked, her hand keeping Coram up in the air. Lady Nikai was slowly walking down the dais and making her way towards Zero. A sly grin played on her lips.

"Now, let's get down to business."

~*chickay*~

Well, glad that's done with. I actually had a lot of fun making this chapter. Coram's pretty important too so keep a look out for him as well. Oh, BTW, Zero is not the good High General's real name. Just a nickname basically. But what does she know about Lady Nikai? Oh…the green-eyed monsters reels its ugly head.Look out for that one. Well, CYA!!


	9. Part VII Hotaru and two names!

Disclaimer:      I do not own Sailor Moon. I am, however, a devoted fan to the show and have been for the longest time possible. However, I bet a lot of people are wondering what I'm basing my work on…the Anime or Manga version. I'm widely basing my story on how the Anime ended but bringing up details and info on the Manga. 

Also, I am an American and therefore have no idea what goes on in Tokyo University, though I do know it exists (right?). So please don't mind my own ignorance as to how things are run over there as I have no clue whatsoever and am grasping for school's names here. Also, this is gonna be another long one.

Looking Back

Part VII

Location: Chiba residence

            "Ready to go, Chibi-Usa?" The pink-haired wonder held her hands up high and squealed. Hotaru laughed and carefully adjusted the baby in her stroller. She scanned over the supplies she would need for their walk in the park. It was a regular thing for Hotaru now. She understood the exhaustion Usagi must currently be under. After the birth, Usagi had cut down on her modeling shoots to spend time with Chibi-Usa. However, it was one of those days that both parents were incredibly busy. It wasn't that they didn't want to take care of their child, it's just that they were important people with important jobs. But that was okay since a majority of their time lately was spent on Chibi-Usa. Hotaru had seen them at the park on weekends having picnics in the past months and had no doubt that Chibi-Usa was being spoiled to death by their love and affection.

            She stepped out of the house and locked the door behind her, Chibi-Usa right in front of her. It was about a few block's walk to the park. Hotaru had placed her purse and blazer in the basket beneath the stroller.

            Thinking of the Tsukino family, Hotaru couldn't help but feel somewhat envious of the giggling babe in front of her. It wasn't the best of memories to enter her mind, but like Hotaru could do much to block out the memory of her parents…or their deaths. She had occasional nightmares about both events. She would see her mother, crawling out from the pits of her parents' laboratory, her flesh burnt, exposing the bloody muscle tissues beneath. She would crawl her way to a young Hotaru, shaking hands reaching out, helplessly begging for help, and then suddenly, her demeanor would change and she would begin vehemently blaming Hotaru for her death. The dreams of her father were worse. He would appear in her monstrous form, grasping her body within his dark hand. Then, she would see her father within the huge monster, dying, and begging her to save him. Then the monster would begin to burst into flames and her father within the monster would scream along with the monster, also blaming Hotaru for his death and cursing her for being a spoiled and uncaring daughter.

It was horrible for her. 

She would wake up some nights, gasping for breath and eventually make herself fall asleep despite the fact that her pillows felt like they had been recently soaked in a pool. But on other nights… 

She would awaken, screaming and crying fitfully. Thankfully, however, at least one of her surrogate parents would be there to wake and hold her. But recently, since Haruka and Michiru broke up, it was like Hotaru was passed along to each parent. She spent a about a week or so with Haruka, a week with Michiru, and sometimes, she would stay at Setsuna's apartment. Neither Haruka nor Michiru approved of Hotaru living alone. Setsuna was still taking on her Time Gate guardian duties but the apartment was supposedly still leased by Setsuna (secretly funded by Haruka and Michiru) as a cover-up place for Hotaru to stay at since neither of her real parents were around to take care of her. It wasn't like Setsuna had much use of the apartment, taking into consideration of her duties. But Hotaru liked it. It made her feel independent without being really independent. She had heavily suspected that Haruka and Michiru were tipping the people at the front desk to keep an eye on her. Then again, it wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself.

            Hotaru was attending Tokyo University and aiming for a medical career. She had grown a bit more social now. She had a close-knit group of friends that she could truly consider her best friends since several of them had been with her through a lot. Not to mention, they had accepted Hotaru for being sometimes weird and 'out-there' and, and even more, they had stood up for her when others had ridiculed her. Yes, she had a very fine group of friends. However, she often felt guilty as she had been holding back a certain secret from them.

            Her surrogate parents and the other scouts had already given her the speeches about how their secret identities should remain that way— _secret_. It was hard, but she had managed. In fact, she had been undergoing training from her fellow scouts a while back. She, along with Haruka, Michiru, Rei, and sometimes Usagi, kept the peace in Japan. She didn't really understand the full circumstances of the other Inner scouts but Hotaru doubted that they would have many opportunities to actually transform and do any good. Ami had Isis to take care of and the senshi of ice appeared as if she had lost her thrill for battle ever since the death of her husband. Makoto would probably have an opportunity here and there to help out but not much by looks of the success her restaurants were having. Minako, with all her fame and glory, couldn't risk public exposure because it would not only raise the paparazzi's attention, but the military's as well. Quite frankly, after dealing with the crap that they had, the Scouts could've probably dealt with the media, but they would rather not. From the looks of things, the era of Crystal Tokyo was approaching. Chibi-Usa's birth was one of the signs. When the whole world would undergo the changes that would pave the way for Crystal Tokyo, then everyone would learn of the Sailor Scouts that had protected them from several evils. 

But for now…

When she did get to the park, she picked out a spot beneath a heavily shaded tree. She pulled out a book and began reading to Chibi-Usa. After a while, the girl soon faded off into a nap and Hotaru was left to her own thoughts. She glanced about her. It was a beautiful summer day with the sun partly hidden by puffy clouds and soft breezes leaving their fading imprints on the leaning grasses. Families, friends, and couples walked on the walkways. Hotaru eyed the couples enviously. She was pretty busy with college but it really wasn't an excuse for her not to start going out. Then again, Haruka had already expressed her own views about Hotaru dating. Hotaru sweat dropped laughingly at the thought of bringing any guy home. As the youngest and most active scout, it was no wonder that her teammates would want her to be safe. But it wasn't just because she was another tool in keeping the peace. Usagi, Haruka, Rei and everyone else cared about the girl and each other a good deal. It was almost like being in a sorority, having sisters who supported, loved, and protected you like your sisters but the thing was they weren't your sisters. Hotaru looked up at the sky.

            _I've suffered so much: _

_Losing mother, then father_

_Being shunned because I was different _

_Then there's always the time that I almost destroyed the entire planet, not to mention the future princess of the planet, let alone my own future substitute family._

She smiled softly at the thought. _How ironic. I end up living with the people I almost killed and the same people who wanted me dead. An evil thought crept into her mind. She began thinking that perhaps it was okay that both her parents were lost. In the end, she had gained a new family. Images of her fellow scouts, surrogate parents, and her friends flashed through her mind. _

_My past both in this time and my history in the Silver Millennium were darkened with misery and death. Now, I have a stable life with people I love and who love me just as much. As for my future…_

She glanced down at the sleeping Chibi-Usa beside her and smiled.

_The future is coming soon…And I will be here to protect it. That is my duty._

She leaned back, getting comfy and closed her eyes.

_Yes. That is my duty. It may seem like it's nothing much of a future. But I understand what it's really about. I know the consequences I'll probably have to face._

Unbeknownst to the senshi of death and destruction, a pair of blue eyes was glancing in her direction attentively. The eyes watched as she positioned the babe onto her lap and made herself more comfortable against the tree behind her. When Hotaru's eyes slipped close, the body attached to the blue eyes stood up, about ready to make its way to the half-asleep teenager. The boy was stopped by a hand that grabbed his sleeve.

"Trey."

The teen fixed his gaze at his companion, confused. "What?" His female counterpart shook her head.

"Don't." She stated. "It's not her." His brows furrowed even further.

"What are you talking about?" She sighed, unleashing her grip on his arm as he continued. "She fits the description: Black hair, violet eyes, about what? Late teens or early twenties now right? It's her, Trini." He insisted. "Plus, can't you feel those vibes from her?"

Trini shook her head. "I know you want to get this mission down and over with and be able to head home," She began, noticing the tinge of sadness that twitched in his eyes. "But you just can't overlook such obvious facts."

She nodded over to the girl. "She's one of them alright." She agreed seriously. "But she's _not_ our target." When he looked at her confused once more, she sighed, leaning against the tree behind her. Trini brushed aside several strands of long curly black hair. She had ditched her earlier clothing, opting to at least _look like she belonged at this time and place. Trini made a mental note to thank Aya and her technology skills for creating that little device that helped them to acquire clothes to blend in with these people. _

She was now wearing a white, button-up, long-sleeved, collared shirt. The first two buttons were undone and she wore a black skort and simple black sandals. Her partner was now wearing a white-long-sleeved jersey shirt with a red stripe going through it and dark-blue baggy pants to go with them and what these people called 'tennis shoes'. Personally, he didn't know why they called them that. He wasn't playing this 'tennis' sport, after all. Trey saw no point in bouncing a small ball over a low net across a court back and forth and back and forth and…the mere thought bored him to death. After all, he was far more impulsive than Trini. She nodded over to the sleeping duo.

"Look at the baby with her."

Trey's eyes widened in shock. "'Baby'? But our target isn't supposed to…"

"That's what I meant." She interrupted. Trini smirked. "By the way, take a closer look at the kid."

He squinted slightly at the tuft of pink by the sleeping woman and his eyes widened even further. "Is that?" 

            "Yup." Trini nodded her head. "But as I was saying, that girl, she isn't our target. However, it's probably some weird coincidence that we run into both of them, considering their positions in this place. I'm guessing that there are more of them in this area since this _is_ where they originated from. In any case, both of them are asleep and both have the gifts. Their vibes are considerably lower when they're not conscious. Apparently, both are very powerful, despite their young ages. Having them both in the same place, both at one of their more unguarded and lower power states, combine together to make that incredible aura you're getting."

He scanned over at them, perplexed. Her gaze softened and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I want to go home, too, Trey." He covered her hand with his own and gave her a forced smile.

"I know." He sighed. "I guess I just really want to get the hell out of this place." His face darkened. "I-I just can't help thinking about how things are going on back there, you know? Like, if our families are okay…"

His voice trailed off as both thought of the unthinkable. Her grip on his shoulder tightened. He looked over at her, concerned when he noticed the moisture trickling down her cheeks. 

"Oh Trini," He muttered. "I'm sorry."

She chuckled and waved off his concern with one hand, rubbing away the tears with the other. "Don't apologize. You're just worried." She smirked. "That's what makes you an excellent second-in command, Trey. You care when Leo can't."

He smiled genuinely at her. "Leo can care." He replied. "It's just taking him a while to understand that even _he can feel emotions."_

She smiled in return. "And that's why I love you about you."

"What?" He asked. "My impulsiveness?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "All of us have had their moments of impulsiveness." She smirked. "It's just that you tend to have more of those moments than the rest of us combined."

He laughed. "And that's what we love about you, Trini. You're able to analyze things before I rush into them head-first."

            Trini smiled laughingly. "So true. After all, what kind of a partner would I be if I let you make an idiot of yourself every time you had the sudden urge to do something stupid?"

            They both laughed. 

            Trey began to stretch. "Well, I guess we ought to continue on our merry way to find that woman."

Trini lowered her head, eyes closed. When she did open them, blazing red looked back at him. "Shouldn't be that hard." She held out an outstretched hand and Trey came over to her. A flame began to produce over her outstretched hand, taking a shape of what looked to be a bird. The tiny flame bird then began to turn side to side before resting its pointed head in the direction the black-haired, violet-eyed teen come from.

            Hotaru blinked back sleep at she looked around her. She realized it had been someone laughter that had awoken her. She turned her head side to side, looking for the source. She found it, in one of the groves of trees. It was a duo, one boy, and one girl. The girl had just bowed her head down and her partner moved towards her, obscuring the girl from Hotaru's view. They seemed to be consulting over something but when the young man did move away, Hotaru had to blink her eyes once more. She thought she had seen smoke coming from the girl's hand. It was then that the duo looked over at her. The girl gave off a smile and nodded. Hotaru had the feeling that the girl was looking at her but not really seeing her. The boy then touched her shoulder and said something. She abruptly turned around and followed, casting a blue-eyed glance at Hotaru.

            Hotaru shivered slightly. _That was strange. She thought. __I could've sworn her eyes were some hazel, reddish color just a few seconds ago. She shook her head forcefully. Chibi-Usa was starting to wake up. Hotaru adjusted her hold on the child and glanced over to where the duo was. To her surprise, they had completely disappeared. _

            A foreboding darkness overcame her heart as she brought Chibi-Usa closer to her, as if protecting her from some unseen force.

            _What on earth?_

~*chickay*~

Woo-Hoo! We got two names in! YAY! *ahem* Anywhos…I am so happy people actually read this! So happy happy. ::does a happy dance:: Anyways…I don't feel like I put enough of Hotaru so far in this chapter…I'm prolly gonna add more of her later on. Well, I'm pretty sure you guys should know who's Trini's and Trey's target…I hope. Until later, good night! (Or good morning actually…it's like 2 am right now)

BTW: I am going to be out-of-town for quite a while. Hell, I'm gonna be gone from the whole eastern part of the U.S. So I won't be updating for at least two weeks or so... If I'm lucky, I'll find some way to upload new chapters to you guys. Please review and keep me alive! Hehe


	10. Part VIII Michiru

July 2: EKK! Please don't kill me Please don't kill me! See, pretty new chapter? ::cowers:: please don't kill me. Eh... I was actually writing this on a laptop in my car on my trip so it was written about a week ago. I couldn't update as soon as I got home because of certain…complications, let's say. Well, it's here now and it is _so_ good to see something other than sand, dust, and cacti. 

A/N: Sorry for the wait folks! Like I warned you guys before...at least about two weeks or so till the update. Honestly, I still don't know when I'm gonna be getting home. Actually, I'm not even in my home state. As I write this I am on the 19th floor in a hotel room gazing upon the drop-dead gorgeous glittering nightlife of Las Vegas, Nevada. To heck with the casinos (until I hit 18, that is. Hehe) The view itself is worth the trip (though the hotel prices are somewhat questionable ::mumbles about overpriced hotels::) Here it goes and hope you like.

Oh, BTW: I don't own Sailor Moon...crap crap crap...please don't sue me...crap crap crap...Also, I know jack squat about London and theaters so just smile and nod like you know what I'm talking about (works for me every time!) And please review. I need _some_ form of motivation. And thanks to those who have done so. ::sniff sniff:: I feel so loved. WARNING: I am reminding you guys that I am not putting Haruka and Michiru together. I'm reminding you of this because I would very much like it if the criticism I got had nothing to do with my pairing preferences. I don't do this to offend anyone since, after all, I respect people's choice of inclination and all I ask is that you respect mine.

Looking Back 

Part VIII

Location: Theater in London

            An abrupt hush fell upon the anticipating audience. Bodies leaned forward in interest as binoculars were whipped out in expectation. Several streams of light struck down on one spot of the stage, not that everyone's attention wasn't already focused to the point that not even a fire could move the immobile crowd. 

            The light shined down on the woman on the stage, creating a halo-illusion upon the natural marinal shade of the ocean that was piled on her head. She lifted her head to the crowd, bright blue eyes shining demurely into the crowd. However, there was some sort of aura around Ms. Michiru Kaioh that commanded your attention and made you feel like you were in the presence of royalty and should act accordingly.

            The air was sucked dry as each person held their breath as she tilted her head slightly and brought her bow to the strings. The apprehension that had radiated from the audience was immediately dispersed as the notes echoed through the theater. The tensed bodies relaxed considerably as every single pair of eyes fell shut, relishing in the invisible beauty that had engulfed them. There was something in the way she moved so fluently like water that made each moment seem like her arm was swaying with the same flow and rate of an ocean tide. But the very affect of the sight of her playing wasn't as powerful as the actual playing.

            It was, it was... It was indescribable, honestly. But in what words I could explain are as these:

            It was as if the essence of those exquisite notes took form of an air angel and...     Slowly...Tenderly... and ever so sweetly sensually caressed one's very soul. Michiru's musical angel touched the souls very much like a mother would when she held her sleeping babe in her arms as she rocked back and forth gently, softly humming.

            Soft sighs of admiration and emotion escaped many lips and some eyes welled up with tears that were conjured up by that mere ghostly musical touch. The artistic atmosphere Michiru created had touched every single mind and soul in the room...

            Well...almost everyone.

            Along the center audience, on the second floor center balcony, sat about eight people. Felicia Dreir gazed upon (in her opinion) the modern reincarnation of Euterpe, the Greek muse of music in pure admiration. She had arranged it so that she and her husband could meet the woman after the show. Xander had refused though Felicia couldn't see why. How could he, when the woman was absolutely extraordinary? She, herself, wasn't so musically inclined. 

            In all bluntness, she sucked at it. 

            Felicia had no patience to sit still and look at sheets of music and practice for even ten minutes. She was far too impetuous. So it was hard to believe she was even remotely related to the man beside her, her younger brother, Alexander Marquis Gerard, a man known for his rather stoic and businesslike attitude. Even from far away, they didn't look like each other's sibling. Felicia had gained her mother's Swedish traits, looking expectantly fair with her (undyed) blonde hair and fair skin. 

            Her brother, however, was, in short American teenage terms, hot as hell. 

            He was practically out of those romance novels that young women hid from their parents. Alexander had a peachy complextion despite the fact that he had recently been on vacation on some Carribean island (during a time that Felicia strongly suspected that he had spent in front of his laptop computer). He had light brown (sort of dirty-blondish) hair that was usually sophisticatedly slicked back for his business meetings. However, tonight at his older sister's request, he had his hair parted down in the middle with some tresses falling by his cool gray eyes. Felicia said it made him look his age and much less severe than he usually did. 

            _What ever that meant.__ He had thought to himself._

            But now, Alexander had made a sudden movement and Felicia turned her gaze from the beautiful violinist and focused on her brother. He had leaned back in his chair, his hand covering his face. Felicia raised an eyebrow.

            "Goodness, Xander," She teased quietly as to not ruin the effect of the music of those around them. "Are you crying?"

            The hand moved to the side as Alexander tried to massage his head when Felicia noted that of course he hadn't been crying (Man hadn't done so since he was ten) but rather, he seemed to be having some sort of a headache. Felicia frowned slightly as she leaned forward.

            "Xander, are you alright?" 

            Her concerned hand was waved away by Xander who was blinking rapidly, much like one would when waking up in the morning.

            "I'm fine Eli." He said gruffly, using his nickname for her. He blinked a couple more time and rubbed his hand over his face. "Just a little...overwhelmed."

            His elder sister gave him an exasperated look. "You see?" She whispered harshly. Alexander rolled his eyes and sunk into his chair, knowing fully well of the scolding he was about to get. "It's all the work you've been doing. I keep telling you that you shouldn't do so much all at once. You work far too hard and you barely even relax at your own vacations. I bet Mrs. Harrington had to force you out of your hotel room. I don't know how that nice old lady can manage to lighten your load as your secretary when you insist on doing everything on your own. You see this is why I brought you here - so you could relax and yet here you are-"

            Her rants were cut off as a calming hand fell upon hers and her husband sort of pulled her away from her further chastisement of her brother. Alex shot Hank a grateful glance as his brother-in-law nodded smilingly in response and continued to whisper soothing words to his wife. Alexander turned his attention once more to the scene before him. 

            _What was that?_ He frustratingly thought. All was well when he was leaning forward to listen to this woman's music. But the second she had started playing, his mind suddenly went into overdrive. His head begun spinning and felt like he was ready to puke or something, like he was on some seriously fast roller-coaster ride that wouldn't stop. Then, images and sounds flashed before his senses, like a movie or something. But he couldn't really explain it. He felt like he was drowning in water, like the tide was swirling about him, dragging him even further to the depths of the ocean. Strangely though...he could still feel himself breathing. 

            He rubbed his temples and studied this Michiru Kaioh before him. He had heard of her from several of his travels. She was an excellent violinist and quite famous. And also, he noted, quite beautiful. Her hair was an odd shade of aquamarine. However, Alexander had the feeling that it wasn't fake or anything like it, and the natural toning strangely fitted her perfectly. Tonight it was piled on her head, curls coming down to frame her face as she continued to play that beautiful music of hers. Her dress was spaghetti strapped and hugged her body. It was a blend of several hues of blue and green and adding to the fact that the lights that were used took on light shades of blue, created the effect as if she was under water.

            _Beautiful.__ Alexander thought. A sudden pain like a knife struck through his brain_. But there's something wrong... _He straightened___

_            Perhaps I ought to take up Felicia's offer on meeting the woman afterwards..._

            Michiru continued her playing. It was one of her own pieces that she had composed on her own. When she had played it before in Japan strangely enough, her fellow inner scouts told her that it had some strange effect on them, causing the return of some bits and pieces of their past lives. Luna had mentioned something about certain things that they did now causing some memories to resurface. It was all probably another preview of the Neo era. To Michiru at that moment, however, it was just relaxing. 

            Lately, things weren't going so great in Japan, mostly because of her relationship with Haruka. 

            It was ironic to think that their love was able to survive the Silver Millennium to now...yet disappear on any regular day. But it wasn't new. Love, though great and powerful, was, like just about everything else in life, subject to change. Rare and sacred cases of love would have to include the Prince and the Princess. Theirs was meant to last forever whereas Haruka and Michiru's...just wasn't. And it wasn't like because they had been in love in the Silver Millennium that they would have to maintain that love. 

            Things and times and people change. As did their love. 

            Michiru hadn't left Japan for good or in spite. For that matter, she had almost turned down her appointment at the theater had Hotaru not forced her to go on. Haruka and Hotaru both threatened her if she would not get on the plane and Haruka opted to stay behind in case Michiru was really concerned about Hotaru's safety. However, it backfired on the scout of wind and earth as Hotaru temperamentally pointed out to her guardians that she was almost twenty and perfectly capable of taking care of herself and forced Haruka to go on her worldwide racing competition in Italy. So Hotaru was basically on her own in Japan staying at Setsuna's empty apartment and checking up on Haruka's and Michiru's places every so often. Michiru would be coming back there in while, not that she was worried about the girl or anything of the sort. After the training the remaining Japan scouts put her through, the girl could probably put up with just about any and everything (including having to deal with Rei through PMS mode and mornings). 

            Speaking of the other scouts, Michiru pondered over how the Princess' daughter was doing. She and the others had arrived on the scene of the birth about half an hour after the baby was born. They had found Usagi, the baby, and Mamoru in the room along with Rei. Rei, being the only one present at the time who wasn't a family member (Kenji, Ikuko, and Shingo were there as well), she had the honor of being the girl's godmother. Naturally, of course, that was only on the record. Off-record, Chibi-Usa had one godsister (Hotaru, who said she wasn't old enough to be considered a godmother) and about seven godmothers (including Rei and Ami). Speaking of her Inner counterpart, Michiru wondered over when Ami would be coming back to Japan. She always hoped that Isis was okay but she was sure that Ami was still traumatized. 

            Ami was usually very physically frail but had pretty strong mental barrier. However, Urawa's death was more than enough to seep into her brain. The senshi of ice suffered a breakdown a few days after her husband's death that nearly killed her unborn child.Thankfully, the baby survived. Ami had continued to put up a strong front during her pregnancy, determined to not lose what little she had left of Ryo. Some of the scouts were actually angry at the fact that Ami left so abruptly and hadn't come at all after Chibi-Usa's birth, but Usagi had smiled and waved the hostility aside, saying that Ami wasn't ready to come home yet and even pointing out that Ami had sent her congratulations and the two women had spent over an hour on the phone talking about their daughters.

            Ami would come home when she was good and ready.

            Michiru allowed her eyes to scan the audience when a certain pair of eyes caught her attention. There, right in front of her, on the second floor. With the lights on her, she couldn't even see the audience's faces. However, strangely enough, his came through.

            Haunting, moonlight gray eyes gazed into hers almost hypnotically. They seemed to be staring into hers, searchingly, as if looking for an answer to some mental question. An icy chill ran down her spine as an image flashed before her eyes momentarily. Her bow faltered and she almost lost her concentration. However, she dutifully turned back to her music but not before she cast one last glance over in the honey-eye's direction, blinking her eyes.

            _That's strange...._ And she conintued to play as if nothing had happened, all the while pondering over that strange scene of what looked like a beach of some sort. Yes, Michiru was sure it was a beach. Actually, the scene was more like a painting that froze some event. She furrowed her brow, trying to recall the details. 

            There was a couple...she had felt an air of sadness, a sense of parting ways and separation...and...evil?? She frowned even further and her thoughts straggled over to her transformation pen that she always kept with her. Her grip tightened on her bow as she continued playing. She hoped she wouldn't have to use it very soon.

~*chickay*~

Whew! Wow...that was long. I'm somewhat disappointed in this chapter, though. I don't feel like I put in enough of Michiru's thoughts and updates in it. Sorry for any out-of-characterness on her personality. But like she had a chance to talk much. Don't worry, she'll get in her two cents and more later on. Hmm...what's up with this Alexander dude? Uh...actually, I myself don't know yet. ::hides from being hit by rotten food thrown by readers:: Hey! What can I say? I'm sorta making more than half of this stuff up as I go. Okay, I love you Buh-Byeee!!!

P.S. I've already started the next chapter on Haruka so it won't be long till I put it up! 

P.S.S. (is there such a thing?) Review!


	11. Part IX Haruka

A/N: I don't own Sailor Moon. Eheheh… Sorry about the wait and THANKS SOOOO MUCH to everyone who reviewed. That means so much to me for your support. Well, here's the newest edition and I hope you like.

Looking Back

Part IX

Location: Italy

            "Alright! C'ya tomorrow!" Haruka waved at the men standing by her racing car. They all waved good-bye and she settled into the taxi that would take her back to the hotel that was housing all the racers for the worldwide racing competition. She set her backpack down on the seat as she leaned back on the cushioned seat in satisfaction. She had just been testing out the engines on her car for the whole afternoon and was somewhat glad to take in some rest. Haruka had arrived in Italy a few days ago. Today had been her first day at skimming over the track where the races were to be. She would be there for quite a while as first there would be the preliminary races and then the top racers would be plucked out. Despite her time away from racing, Haruka apparently still had her edge, surprising a lot of people when she had started coming in. 

            Many were surprised to see this woman around the tracks, and they were even more shocked to learn that she was participating in the races. Not many had seen her, but a good amount of people had begun to remember her as a very strong racer many years back. She had won plenty of important racers before Haruka turned into a scout but after that, well…it wasn't like she had much of a choice of her hobbies. Haruka had started getting back into racing about a year or so after Galaxia's invasion but she had no plans in going all the way. She and the other scouts were somewhat wary that there were no recent attacks from some unknown evil out there but they were grateful for the peace that had begun to take seed in their lives. 

            It was rather sad, she had thought a while ago. All the senshi had basic lives and goals they had wanted to accomplish, but everything they had wanted to do had to be placed on hold for their duties. That was probably the worst thing for Haruka to deal with. She, being a little bit older than the others and being more mature, had been rather bitter when she had acquired her powers. The others could understand. Unlike the lot of them, Haruka had a plain view of what she wanted out of her life. Her scouting duties were probably a major pain in the ass for her to handle at the beginning. But being who she was, Haruka had a strong sense of duty and honor that would always come before everything else. She was the one who had to put her dreams on hold just for her job while the others, even Michiru, weren't exactly happy but accepted. Some would've expected her to be bitter, and, in truth, they all were. They couldn't have any 'normal' aspects in their lives. I mean, they spoke to cats, people. 

            But the girls had strived through all their challenges. And these past few years had only shown that. They were all wary that there had been no threats, but, overall, they were relieved. They had sprung on the chance of peace and had taken their opportunities to do what they had been meaning to do for long. Haruka, herself, had been surprised at the decisions of Minako, Ami, and Makoto. They had all left Japan about a year or so after the battle with Galaxia. Minako had started acting again and posed in a shoot with Usagi. That had started up her career as Usagi was a well-known model nowadays. However, there were some family issues as far as Haruka could understand that led to Minako's depart from Japan to America. They had all heard of her success there in her two movies and Haruka recalled seeing the leader of the inner senshi about eight months ago. Minako had been trying to fight off a mob of people who had recognized her from her film_ Aphrodite_ around the time of Chibi-Usa's birth and had arrived at the Chiba residence later than the others. Minako hadn't really changed, maintaining her sparkly bubbly personality that, as her closest friends knew, was often a frontage to the darker depths in the woman. Haruka, herself, was racing through traffic much to the chagrin of Michiru and Hoare who were in the same car at the time of the new Princess' birth. Makoto was on her way there on a plane and Ami hadn't returned ever since she left for Germany with Isis. However, she did send her congratulations and spoke on the phone with Usagi and the others for a short time.

            She was jolted out of her reverie as the taxi came to a halt. She paid the driver and took up her bag. As she passed by the automatic doors, she could hear the brawling laughter of several of the bawdy men. Standing by the doorway, she had a good view of the men at the bar. As she made her way to the concierge, Haruka pointedly ignored the silence that suddenly overcame the men at the bar. But it wasn't like she was blind to her own beauty. No, she was pretty. She still kept her sandy blonde hair cut short above her shoulders but it was easier to see that she wasn't a guy as she was dressed in a white tank top and a ragged pair of shorts. The concierge handed her the key to her suite and she turned towards the elevators. As soon as she turned the corner, she heard the men start talking again. They were probably surprised to see a woman step up in the hotel housing the racers. Haruka smirked. None of them would guess that she was one of them. 

            There was a ding and the elevator doors slide open. Haruka was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice the other person coming out of the elevator. Her shoulder banged on the man's and she half-stumbled into the shaft. Spinning to the front, she immediately turned to the person.

            "Sorry," She said, inclining her head slightly. "I didn't see…you."

            The hesitated pause occurred as she brought her head back up to the man she had just bumped into. He was tall, actually, taller than her. He had a light brown complexion that was darkened from the sun. He was wearing baggy blue jeans and a black tank. He had stark black hair that would've fallen just to his shoulders if most of it wasn't in a ponytail. A stray strand on the front had fallen over his eyes. He didn't make a move but sort of gazed at her for a while. In a few second, he didn't reply to her apology but brushed aside the stray strand, nodded slightly, and turned away. Haruka quirked an eyebrow. 

            _What was that about?_ She frowned as she leaned over and pressed the number of her floor. The stranger had cast one last glance at her in the shaft before the doors of the elevator met each other and he was gone from her line of sight. She involuntarily hugged herself. Haruka had felt something strange and cold when she looked into the man's eyes. It was like déjà vu…like she had met him before. The elevator 'ding'ed and she strode over to her room. It was a cozy room, furnished tastefully in the condition Haruka could label livable. She took off her sunglasses and placed her backpack on the couch. Kicking off her shoes, she sauntered over to her bed, exhausted. She adjusted her position and the pillows before closing her eyes and dozing off.

            Before she drifted off to dream world, a pair of dark brown eyes involuntarily entered her mind.

            _She was in the woods, somewhere. Trees and greenery surrounded her and Haruka absently thought about how much either Setsuna or Makoto would like the place. She was walking through the grass when she heard a couple of voices. She followed the noise through several plants and paths before coming to a clearing. There was a man and a woman before her. As she stepped forward, she realized that they probably couldn't see her. She settled for watching them from a distance. The woman was tall, with golden, wavy hair that fell almost to her elbows. She was wearing a long white dress that had soot and dirt on some part on it. The man was hunched over her back. He had dark hair and was wearing rather old, medieval clothes. The woman was sitting on top of a rock and the man was right behind her, examining her back. Upon closer inspection, Haruka was startled to see the woman's back looking like it was slashed and opened cuts were everywhere. The woman had just slapped aside the man's hand from her back, looking angry._

_            "I said**, LEAVE ME ALONE**!"_

_            "Such bad manners." He tsked, pointedly ignoring her rants. He reached over and forced her to look away from him as to make his work easier.  "And you're supposed to be a lady?"_

_            "Well, it's not you're been so gentlemanly either so I wouldn't talk if I were you." She snapped back. Turning her head slightly to see him working on her back, she said.  "You're an ass, you know that?"_

_            "Yeah well this ass is currently trying to help your back mend so I suggest you shut your cakehole, princess, and let me do my job."_

_            With that, she turned back to the front, scowling as she muttered, "Ass."_

_The man smirked. She spun on him, luscious blonde waves swirling as she narrowed her light amethyst, bluish eyes on his smirking face._

_"You know, I-"_

_However, he tightened his grip on her arms and forced her head to keep on staring straight ahead, preventing her from glaring at him directly. She felt callused hands softly gliding on her back as he inspected the damage. Goosebumps materialized on the areas his fingers skimmed over. She shivered slightly, not enough for him to notice._

_She flinched as his fingers pressed somewhere on her back. He glanced up and noted the pained expression on her face as she turned her head sideways, rearing to yell at him. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't yell at him as he pressed harder on the spot, producing an even deeper frown to crease on her brow._

_Sighing, he relinquished the pressure on her back and stood aside. Cautiously, she turned to him on her seat on the rock, frowning at him. She felt a sense of mild surprise when she saw the way he was looking at her. His dark eyes looked over at her, eyes seeming to be calculating. The intensity of the dark orbs unnerved her, though not in the negative way._

_            The scene faded in front of Haruka and she felt somewhat dizzy until a new setting became focused in front of her. She was now on what looked like a mountain terrain. There were the same man and woman except the woman no had bandages strapped around her upper chest area and a bandage was wound around her wrist. Once more, neither person made a movement to acknowledge her._

_"Just be careful, angel." The man was saying as she walked over to the edge of the cliff. "You're still not fully healed."_

_The woman turned around and looked at him. She quirked an eyebrow, bemused. She inclined her head slowly in affirmation. "I'll be sure to."_

_Once more, Haruka felt like she was swirling on air again. She 'fell' into a room on all fours. Groaning slightly, she stood up, glancing about her. The room looked more like a huge library. After glancing about for a few seconds, she spotted the man sitting on a huge, comfy-looking chair._

_He suddenly glanced up and surprise invaded his dark eyes as he looked in her direction. He raised an eyebrow as a fake cocky smile settled on his face._

_"Well, well," He murmured, setting aside his book. "Never thought I'd have to be graced with your presence again." He said laughingly, trying to break the strain between them._

_Haruka was startled, still thinking that he couldn't see her. However, as she was starting to speak to him, she heard the shuffling of feet. Looking behind her, she saw the woman again. But there was something extremely different about her this time that Haruka couldn't put her finger on. The woman now seemed to resemble someone she knew. However, she was looking somewhat distant now. There was a tinge of anger in her light blue eyes as she looked right through Haruka and peered at the man. The man seemed to notice the extreme strain in the room and frowned._

_He stood up, concerned. He made a motion to move towards her but she took an unintentional step back. His brows furrowed_

_ "Achara?"_

_His voice seemed to break through her trance. Her icy eyes bore into the darkness of his. "You lied." _

_Those two, short words echoed into the wide room and his eyes darkened as the meaning of the words caught up to him._

_Haruka frowned, a sense of familiarity welling up in her. She looked back and forth between the two, confused. Just as the man brought his head up to speak, loud noise caused Haruka to cover her ears as the setting before her suddenly multiplied and swirled in her vision._

Haruka rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed. The phone beside her was ringing excessively, annoying her. Haruka leaned over and mumbled a greeting.

"'Ello?" She yawned.

"Haruka?" Came and uncertain voice. Haruka immediately shot up at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Hotaru?" Hotaru laughed. 

"Yes, hi. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah," She said, smiling. "Oh-no! Don't apologize. It's no big deal. I'm supposed to go eat with an old friend soon anyway." She continued, cutting off the younger girl's apologies as she glanced over at the sun that was starting to go down. Haruka kept on talking to Hotaru for a few minutes though she felt as though her foster-'daughter' was holding back something. Hotaru sounded very uneasy but reassured her that she was okay and the two eventually hung up. 

It wasn't till Haruka had cleaned up and gotten dressed and halfway through the doorway that she realized what was so familiar about the woman in her dreams. Her long blonde hair was chopped off in the last scene.

And she looked exactly like Haruka.

~*chickay*~

A/N: There is goes. Yeah, Haruka lovers will probably kill me. BTW: I stopped watching the English version of Sailor Moon after those heinous SuperSailor Moon season dubs. ::shudders:: Good God, those were scary. Anyways, I barely got enough of Haruka's character and I'm pretty sure I didn't do her character enough justice. Also, I know crap about cars, let alone racing cars, and as for racing competitions, well, let's say the most I know is that they run around the pretty little track. Oh well, let me know what I can do to improve if you think I could use it. REVIEW!


	12. Part X Setsuna and The Plot Thickens

**A/N**: Hey guys! So sorry but I noticed a very bad mistake I made a while ago. I put down Hotaru's age as fifteen but it doesn't really make much sense that she's going to a university. So just an update: Hotaru is now 17 years old and let's just say for the sake of the story and preventing any further confusion, she skipped a grade and is taking a lot of advance classes. BTW: This is gonna be **_long. _I hope you guys can read either very fast or have a lot of patience because this is gonna take a while!**

Looking Back

Part X

Location: Gates of Time

Numerous images opened up in front of her, like little messaging boxes on an internet screen. Instead, these held little images and clips of different people. However, the people in the clips were very closely linked though not many would believe that the women in the images actually knew each other. 

            In the first box, a gorgeous woman in white glided onto a set and began posing as cameras flashed in every which way. Her wavy silvery blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders as she smiled into the cameras. She was then seen on the screen consulting a woman over what looked like a schedule where the blonde has marked off several dates as 'not working'. The image then 'flash forwarded' to later on when the woman reached her house and was greeted by a tall, handsome man with black hair and blue eyes carrying a giggling, pink-haired baby.

            Following that image was one of a petite woman with peculiar blue hair. She was administrating to nurses at what was obviously a hospital. One would've been amazed at the tenderness and patience she held when amongst her own patients as she did her job in comforting younger children and being professional yet not too stuffy with her adult patients. Once more, at the end of the day, the woman is seen scooping up a dark-haired child into her arms, laughingly, and driving home. At night, however, the woman is seen sitting up in bed, silent tears pouring down her face. She looks at the sleeping girl by her and she smiles sadly.

            The woman watching the scene touched the area right over her left breast, over her heart. _The poor child._

            The next was of a raven-haired woman with piercing violet eyes. She is seen at the head of a long office table, looking controlling and livid at a group of cowering older men. Then she is seen coming to a shrine at night and just as she is about to round the corner, a short, bald man pops up, smiling insanely. The woman promptly pops him upside the head, knocking him out and drags him to a room. However, one would take note of the gentleness that over took her as she tucked the man to sleep. Even later into the night, she is in front of a roaring fire, eyes closed in concentration, fingers manipulating flickering over the flames, her lips murmuring ancient phrasings to the fire.

            In the next box, a tall woman dressed as a chef is hurrying about in a kitchen, calling out orders to those around her. One stops her and she samples his cooking. A slight tension arises in the room as she savors the taste and then smiles approvingly. Then it flash forwards to her watching a wedding that she has just helped to cater, green eyes looking on at the happy couple somewhat enviously. Later, she is seen getting out of a jeep and surveying what looks to be a forest. She looks on at the scenery with a smile...until a cell phone behind her goes off and she becomes very annoyed. The woman watching the scene smiles as the brunette in the screen yells into the phone and then tosses it to the back of her car.

            Then there is the one with a smiling blonde happily waving at her fans. She is seen signing autographs and at a press conference, still smiling. Later, she is in a room with a woman, her manager, and the other woman gestures to a bunch of magazines and articles that speak very positively on the blonde woman. Even later on, her demeanor is different as she is on the phone, looking perplexed and angry at the person on the other line. She abruptly hangs up on the person and brings a hand on her face, massaging her temples before wiping away a couple of tears. She turns to a picture frame of a couple and a happy blonde girl. With hard eyes, she takes up the frame, and places it face-down.

            In next two boxes seem to incorporate each other. There are two women looking as though they're having an argument but looking strangely calm, almost acceptingly. A younger, dark haired girl walks in and the two don on very happy smiles for her.

            In the first box, a young woman with aqua-colored hair is seen doing laps around a clear-water pool. There is a smile of satisfaction on her face as she leaves the pool. The clip changes and there is a huge poster advertising a stunning young woman with aqua hair, who is playing at a theater. As the scene fast forwards, she is now at the theater, looking elegant as she plays the violin before her. The scene changes and she is seen entertaining a charming-looking blonde woman who is looking ecstatic. Her husband stands by the blonde, looking at the musician somewhat apologetically at his wife enthusiasm. However, there is another man by them. He has light brown eyes and is fixating a calculating glance at the aqua-haired woman who seems uneasy under her gaze.

            The next is of the tall blonde. In the first scene, she is fighting off a monster in a Sailor suit. The first scene is obviously from years before the present. As the monster is annihilated, she turns to her hands, looking at them in something like revulsion. She obviously isn't all too happy with her job. The time forwards and she, looking older, is seen inside a racing car on a track, grinning as she takes off in a blur, raising exclamations from the men watching her. Later, she is looking over engine parts, strangely not looking out of place in the room full of men as she speaks with confidence and intellect on the matters at hand. As she then enters a hotel, she pointedly ignores all glances made her way from several men at the bar. As she makes her way into the elevator, she bumps into a man who shrugs and brushes off her apology. Later, she is turning fitfully in her sleep.

            The maroon-eyed woman watching the two scenes cocks her head to the side, somewhat confused. _So soon already?_

            The last box makes the woman smile widely. It is of the young, dark-haired girl that walked in on the two former women. She is seen laughing with several other people her age. Later, she is in a wide classroom with other students, writing down notes in a notebook. Fast forwarding, she enters an apartment that is seemingly empty save for two cats. She smiles as she pets both of them and sets up their food in the kitchen. At night, the girl, looking a bit younger, is seen twisting and turning and then jolting out of her sleep, crying and screaming. The aqua-haired woman in the previous box rushes in and holds the young girl in an embrace, trying to calm her down. On a different night, she is wearing a Sailor suit and grinning wickedly at a group of mean-looking men. The next morning, the sandy-blonde woman ruffles her hair, gesturing to a newspaper headline concerning a theft ring that had just been destroyed and smiling. Later, like a week, she knocks at a door and is greeted by a dark-haired man. A giggling, pink-haired baby squeals and she immediately goes over and picks up the baby.

            Setsuna gazed at the different scenes before her, smiling for her fellow scouts. She waved a hand and the images faded away. She smiled sadly. She felt very happy for her senshi teammates.  However, unlike them, she was still required to maintain her duties at the Gates of time. She sighed. It was a hard thing, but she had learned to accept the circumstances. Setsuna turned. The King and Queen had called her earlier. For what reasons, Setsuna didn't know. She turned around to one of the doors and beckoned for it to open.

She allowed the gusty winds to engulf her body. Soon, they passed her more softly, much like a breeze rather than the stormy winds of a hurricane. She smiled. They recognized her as their guardian, their watcher. She closed her eyes and envisioned the place where she wanted to be. In her mind, she saw the grand throne room of their Royal Highnesses. It remarkably resembled the design of the royal Earth palace centuries ago when Endymion was just a young prince and Queen Selenity still ruled over the Silver Millennium. The woman concentrated further until she felt solid ground beneath her feet. Opening her eyes, she saw that fog had formed about her, an after effect of going through the time gates. Past the foggy clouds, she spotted the strange, golden hairstyle and took a step forward, then hearing the sliding of metal against sheaths and stopped.

The guards within the room had all tensed, holding their spears tightly in their grasps and preparing to draw their swords. The King held up his hand to the guards.

"Sheath your weapons." A soft small smile made its way to his face as they followed his orders. "It is Setsuna."

The guardian of time entered the room with long strides, staff in hand, the fog giving her a mystifying look. Serenity smiled. Rising from her throne, she gathered up her dress and walked down the small steps to her friend, arms out. "Setsuna, it is so good to see you."

The two women embraced. Then Setsuna took a step back and bowed on one knee. 

"My King, my Queen, why did you call on me?"

Serenity smiled. Setsuna saw a hint of uncertainty in her queen's eyes. Serenity turned to her husband. With no words, they seemed to communicate with each other. Endymion straightened and he was now all king of Crystal Tokyo.

"Guards," He called, drawing their attention with his stern voice. "Leave the room." Some of the guards jolted back slightly, startled. 

"Your majesty..." One spoke up.

"**Leave**.**The.****Room." He repeated, placing enormous emphasis with each word. The guards all bowed and left the room, shutting the tall doors behind them.**

            They turned to Setsuna.

"Your majesties, what is going on?" She demanded softly.

"Setsuna." Serenity began softly. "You of all people know that what happens here is always affected by the actions of those in the past. Also, you know that it is possible for the past to be changed through what one does when they time travel."

"Yes, I know all that." She said. "I've been guarding the gates for centuries, your majesties, I know all this."

"That's why we wish to speak with you now." Endymion said. The woman looked back and forth at the two. "Setsuna, you have guarded the gates of time longer than Luna and Artemis have been around. You're loyalty to both the planets and the royal family has been proven from time to time."

Setsuna blushed lightly at their praise. "Your majesties, what are you getting at?"

"Setsuna, you know that certain terrible happenings occurred before the freezing age before Serenity and I took up the throne." He began.

Setsuna, my mother visited us a while ago." Serenity spoke up. To answer the strange look Setsuna gave her, she hurriedly added, "In a dream, of course." She looked at Endymion and he squeezed her hand, encouraging her. "She came up with a small plan to us. We were a bit stunned at her suggestion but after taking it into consideration, we've come to understand its reason and now that we have had time to think it over, we believe that it is a positive course of action. Setsuna, we feel that you should know that this plan will affect you and your existence."

Setsuna took an involuntary step back. "W-what do you mean?"

"Calm down, Setsuna." Endymion chuckled. "Let us explain. You are in no trouble."

Serenity also smiled. "No, Setsuna, mother suggested something that, right around now, seems to make a lot of sense." 

She stood up and held her hands in front of her chest, palms facing up. Light consumed her body so that Setsuna had to shield her eyes. The light fell back until it glowed around the Imperial Silver Crystal that floated above her hands. Her hands shook slightly. It had been a while since she had actually held the crystal and her body wasn't as it was years ago. Her husband came up behind her and steadied her arms. She smiled at him and turned back to the crystal.

 "Setsuna, you have witnessed what became of the heroines of the planet." Serenity said. "They now live normal lives, their power remains yet the evil is gone and there is no need for our heroes."

"I can see that, your Highness." Setsuna began. "But what does that have to do with your mother's plan including me?"

The couple sighed. Serenity looked down and Endymion stared into Setsuna's eyes. 

"Setsuna, my mother-in-law asked that we repay you for all that you've done for this planet, guiding over the gates of time and even more protecting our daughter"

Setsuna blushed slightly. "Thank you."

"No." Serenity said with finality. "Thank _you. And mother asked us to do something for you to try to repay you for all that you've done." She smiled and looked at her husband, who smiled right back. She turned to Setsuna. _

"Setsuna Meioh, senshi of time, guardian of the Time Gates, we, the royal couple of the Crystal Tokyo, offer you this opportunity." She stepped down until she was in front of the other woman. Her husband followed. They had smiles on their faces. Setsuna eyed them both with curiosity.

"Setsuna, we offer you an opportunity to relive your life." She paused. "As a normal human being." Setsuna's jaw dropped open.

"W-what?" Serenity nodded and Endymion smiled wider.

Location: Unknown

"-They're on the planet Earth." Zero gritted through her teeth. "At the time era a couple of years before the Crystal Millennium in the planet's time."

Nikai raised an eyebrow and sat back in her chair lazily, a smirk grazing her face.

"Is that so?"

Zero glared back at the younger woman defiantly, clenching fist that were still bound by the bracelets. Coram still hung in the air, and Lugaan still held his blade tight against his throat. Nikai tapped her finger against her cheek, looking thoughtful.

"Now why would they go and do that?"

At this, Zero smirked. Nikai and the others caught the devious smile and the Lady frowned slightly. Zero gave out a low, haughty laugh and glared at the other woman with pure malice in her dark blue eyes.

"Clearly you know of the legends," She began, still smiling. Nikai's frown deepened and Kiyomi, Lugaan, and Soren shifted uneasily at their captive's sudden change of mood. "The legends speak of powerful warriors," Zero began. "All gifted with an element that they can form and control to their will. They have defeated enemy after enemy that could've destroyed them, their homes, and their people. However, their enemies had extremely underestimated them." She grinned, causing the guards in the room to be very uncomfortable. "That was their fatal and _last mistake."_

She chuckled and some were surprised to hear a low snicker from the air as well. Looking upwards, Nikai glared at the captive man that was at Lugaan's mercy. However, this man was laughing. Nikai glared at him and Lugaan pressed the blade further, drawing a thin line of blood. He abruptly stopped laughing, but a grin still played on his handsome features as he hissed lowly in pain.

"Something you care to add?" Nikai asked mockingly.

"Yeah," Coram spat out vehemently. "Once they assemble the warriors, you won't stand a chance."

"He's right, you know." Nikai darted her violet eyes at the woman before her. Zero, too, wore the smug glare that Coram did. Zero straightened and said clearly, like a prophecy. "You may have killed or captured our troops and taken over our city," Her eyes glinted black in anger. "But I know for a fact that you do not have the royals."

She allowed time for the people in the room to be stunned with her knowledge. Soren narrowed his beady eyes.

"What would you know about them?" He demanded. Zero threw up her head haughtily.

"I know that they're safe from you greasy hands." She turned back to Nikai, who was looking infuriated. "And the fact that you do not have the royals, not to mention you let a handful of soldiers through that gate..." She trailed off, looking relieved, as if she had just figured this out for herself. She smiled serenely, closing her eyes. She opened her eyes halfway and her clear voice rang out in the darkened room.

"Those two trivial mistakes will surely add up to your defeat." She laughed outright. "Funny, isn't it?" She mocked. A vein was beginning to protrude from her skull and Zero prodded on. "You have a whole army of murderers. Yet, you will fall at the hands of five kids who're younger than me!"

Nikai took a step back involuntarily, surprised. The woman before her looked in her early twenties. "Do you mean to say," Nikai hissed. "That those soldiers who got away are mere _teenagers_?"

Zero grinned. "That's right, kid. None of them have hit the big two-oh yet." She replied patronizingly. "But don't let the ages fool you. They all come from long lines of powerful warriors. I've had the pleasure of meeting all of them. And take it from their High General, you don't stand a cha-."

Zero was abruptly cut off as a black beam shot out and struck her square on the chest. Coram let out a shout of protest but Lugaan held him steady.

Nikai glared at the prostrate body before her, slightly irritated but much more calm as she watched the other woman's shaky intakes of breath.

A silence struck the room, only Zero's ragged breathing could be heard. Nikai turned to the man by her and drawled lazily,

"I think now is the time to work that little tracking magic of yours, Soren."

~*chickay*~

**A/N**: EEK!! Double cliffhangers…well, sort of. Ehehe…I know it seems totally random but I do have plans for Setsuna in the future. I've had this chapter for quite a while but I haven't made much of an opportunity to put it in the story. 

**BTW: Major importance**, I'm planning to create a story for each senshi coming soon once I finish 'Looking Back' which will be in about two or three chapters. Here's how it's all going to go.

I'm going to finish up Looking Back in about two or three more chapters.

Then I'm going to start the actual story to which Looking Back provided as a prologue for. This upcoming story is going to be called Foreign Nature **_or_** whatever I later decide the title should be. I still have to plan it out. For now, let's just say that Foreign Nature is going to be the title.

Sometime either during or after I do Foreign Nature, I'm going to create little stories showing each POV from each senshi and go a little more inside on what's happening in their lives when or after Foreign Nature takes place.

Okay, I'm done with all the announcements. REVIEW!! Hehe. And thanks again (for the millionth time) to everyone that has reviewed.


	13. Part XI Mental Meeting

A/N: Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed and sorry for the delay. I had this lying around for a while but I never got around to finishing this part. Certain…dramatic occurrences have prevented me from focusing all my energy and concentration on my story. Well, here it is and please review!

Looking Back

Part XI

Location: Germany

_Zero grinned. "That's right, kid. None of them have hit the big two-oh yet." She replied patronizingly. "But don't let the ages fool you. They all come from long lines of powerful warriors. I've had the pleasure of meeting all of them. And take it from their High General, you don't stand a cha-."_

_Zero was abruptly cut off as a black beam shot out and struck her square on the chest._

On the planet Earth, set a couple of years before the Crystal Millennium, a certain blonde-haired, green-eyed angel shot up from her bed. Her bandaged hand was pressed hard against her chest as she gasped for breath. Her pupils were considerably dilated and her clothes hung on her, clutching onto her skin through the thin layer of sweat that covered every inch of her body. She gulped down a horrible lump in her throat and slowed down her breathing. She shakily ran a hand through her hair as she glanced about her. She was on a bed, warmed by her presence. Around her were white curtains that hung on steel rings and poles. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was. 

            She was in a hospital, a place way too far from home for her comfort. She brought her blanket-covered knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, dejectedly placing her chin on top of her knees. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep but she now just remembered why she woke up. That dream… It was so real. She subconsciously played with the silver chain adorning her right wrist and a vision involuntarily invaded her mind.

Tears dripped down her face as she sobbed quietly. She hated her advanced senses sometimes. That battle was one of them. She had heard everything. 

Sounds…there were so many of them. And she heard every single last one of them

Metal clanged against metal, creating a strange melody that rang in the air

            Metal ripped into flesh and screams and wicked laughter mingled together in the air, separated but together, like oil and water encased tightly in a bottle

            Every sound that was made echoed into her brain. She had heard every single body and drop of blood that made contact with the floor. 

            It was horrible.

            But there was the worst sound of all…

_            She lunged at her opponent, some strange creature with shiny black scales. Its mouth opened to let out an anguished roar and she was struck by the lava red insides of his mouth and the fanged-teeth that glinted at her. However, she pulled back her halberd from its stomach and watched with mild satisfaction as it fell before her_. (**A**/**N: For those who don't know what a halberd is, think back to the last old castles and knights movie you saw. Think of a spear but a little before the blade of the spear there's a blade of an axe protruding from the handle. Get? No? In that case, look it up. ^_^U)**

_She didn't waste a lot of time goading to herself of her triumph when another one attacked her. Swiftly, she swung her handle and the edge of the axe blade spliced into the monster's neck and it reared back in anger before falling to the ground as blood-lava seeped from the exposed cut. Out of the corner of her eye as she fought off another monster, she caught sight of Trini fighting off her own opponents. She was always surprised at how Trini managed to keep that long hair of hers especially during these past weeks, what with her choice of weapons. Right then, she was twirling her twin daggers menacingly at the monsters, grinning wickedly. Most of her hair was hidden slightly by the light-weight yet extremely sturdy armor she wore. The others wore the same armor with the insignia's of their homes. With her trained eyes, she saw her best friend racing past the monsters surrounding her, slashing her blades against the surfaces of the monsters' "skins". Lava blood dripped on the curving hilt of her daggers as she watched the severed monsters fall to the ground all together, emitting a groan from the floor. Trini caught sight of her and grinned. She grinned back until Trini's eyes suddenly widened and she screamed,_

_"Aya!"_

_Immediately, she spun around, catching one of the monsters with her weapon before it could attack her. She called out a 'Thanks' to Trini though she doubted if she could've heard her since she was suddenly busy with another monster. _

God! _She frustratingly thought, jamming the spear blade into another creature._ They just keep on coming. It's like we've been fighting them for hours. _Sweating and breathing heavily, she surprisingly realized that more than half of their soldiers were down. All that were left were some twenty-odd warriors, she and her friends being a handful of them. At the same time, she found herself circled in by a bunch of the monsters who seemed to single her out as being one of the more powerful warriors on the field. She gripped the handle on her weapon even tighter. Her weapon could only handle few people at a time and she couldn't use her powers or her agility because of her tired state. As if on cue, a dark haired young man suddenly vaulted into the air, flipping in the air towards her direction._

_"Yo, Aya!" He called before landing. He had his flail in his hands, the handle in one and the spiked ball held haphazardly in the other. "DUCK!"_

_Her eyes widened slightly before she followed his command, having seen this attack before, suddenly dropping to the ground, lying prostrate with her weapon. With a loud battle cry, he landed by her side and let go of the spiked ball, holding onto the handle tightly. _

_"Hey ugly!" He snarled. "Try picking on this!" With that, he snapped up the handle, causing the chain and the ball to rise into the air sharply. Without even looking up, Aya knew that the chain would extend beyond the usual length of flail chains and then 'harden' or stay stiff like it was a part of the straight and strong handle. He suddenly brought it down to the beasts before them and swung, knocking aside several of the enemies by creating a spiked fan blade to keep the enemy from getting too close._

_Even with her enhanced senses Aya couldn't count how many monsters he had brought down. A strong, warm hand picked up her arm and brought back to her feet. She looked up to find the usual bright brown eyes now dimmed with the fury of battle, but a playful grin still played his lips. _

_"You okay?" She nodded grimly, smiling slightly to prove it._

_"Thanks Koji-" She was cut off as they were abruptly broken apart by a new wave of the creatures. These monsters trampled over the broken and battered bodies of their comrades and were now attacking her and Koji. As she fought off another monster, she spotted Trey nearby, diligently fighting off his own monsters with his katana. However, he was so into his opponent that he hadn't noticed another monster had crept up behind him. Dutifully, Aya rammed her weapon through the rocky body, emitting a screech of pain. Trey turned around surprised. At his point of view there was a monster that could've killed him with a familiar-looking blade through its body. He looked past the massive shoulder to spot his grinning friend on the other side. He grinned back and sliced off the monster's still-screaming head._

_"Thanks." Trey said, smiling. She shook her head, shrugging and smiling._

_"No big."_

_"Watch out!" They yelled at the same time and turned around simultaneously, and attacked the monsters that had crept up on them. And she was on her own again. As she fought off another monster, she thought over whom she hadn't seen yet. She now knew hat Trey, Trini, and Koji were okay. So that would've left…_

_As she battled, she saw him a bit away from her. The sight made her happy and slightly annoyed. _

_Leo was standing back-to-back with the High General Zero. Both had on their war-faces and their swords clanged against the monster around them. They weren't using just their swords, but their shields as well. Aya, herself had helped to make a few alterations on the shields, sharpening the edges so that they could also be used as weapons. Amidst her own combats, she saw their lips moving, speaking to each other. Zero was looking calmly irritated with her opponents as she spoke and Aya noticed that, at one point, Leo had put down his guard to yell at her protesting before fighting off his enemy. Aya had come closer to them now and she had heard the words 'piss me off', 'pulling rank', 'safety', 'the royals', 'protect', 'find and persuade', and then 'Aya'. She then pointed her hand at a whole horde of monsters in front of her and let out a battle cry, releasing a full force of her telekinetic powers, driving them all back. When they had fallen, she turned to Leo and screamed,_

_"Go!" He hesitated for a second and then took off. He spotted Aya and ran towards her, slashing her sword against the monsters in his way. He ran up to her and gripped her free hand, dragging her with him as he continued to run. She felt his grip still tightened, as if he was afraid of letting go. _

_"Leo!" She shouted as he slashed a monster's torso and kept on running. "What the hell is going on?"_

_"I don't have time to explain now." He replied, not turning back. "But we need to gather the others and hurry."_

_She didn't reply. Aya had recognized that cold tone in his voice long ago and didn't say anything. There was a faint glow in the front of his body, a sign that he was using his marker. He heard his mental voice to their friends, calling for them_

"Guys! Locate me or Aya and follow! NOW!"_ Around her, she felt her friends' auras sharpening, showing that they had heard and were closing in on them. Soon, somehow, she realized that the others were behind her, Trini and Trey slashing their weapons by the monsters and Koji sometimes screaming 'DUCK!' so that his four other friends would get down as he swung his flail. _

_"Yo, Leo!" Koji called out. "Where the hell are we going?"_

_The others were also wondering the same thing. They had now left the battle field and were going towards an exit surrounded by their comrade soldiers. Zero was at the lead of them. She turned to the teens. Aya saw her glancing over them, making sure they were all there. She turned to Leo suddenly. "Hurry! We're gonna hold them off as much as we can." Turning so that she looked over at all of them, she said grimly, "Keep running and don't turn back."_

_The five rushed past the whole guard that stood between the monsters and the exit way with Zero at their heels. Once they were a few feet from the guards, Zero stopped and the others continued. Aya wrenched her hand away from Leo's grip and stopped where she was, breathing heavily at the woman in front of her._

_"Ze-" She had made to take a step towards the General when Zero had brandished her sword at Aya's direction. Aya looked on wide-eyed at the gleaming silver before her, shocked. She looked up at the now-black orbs. "W-what…" Was all she managed to stammer._

_"Go." The one word was incredibly deafening in the hollow hallway. "RUN dammit!" Zero commanded forcibly. "You don't turn around once you've been ordered to start running, Aya. I taught you that personally." She reached up to her throat and tugged at a heavy silver chain surrounding her throat. She threw it at Aya who caught it with stunned hands. When she looked up at Zero questioningly, she grinned._

_"Make sure I get that back." With that, she took back her sword and swung around to catch up with her fellow soldiers. _

Aya was only half-conscious of the tears pouring down her face now. That was the last she had seen of her. They had gone into the room with the portal right after. When Aya had seen the lasers being fired, a deep pit in her stomach grew as she realized that they would've had to get through Zero and the other guards first. She couldn't bear to think of the matter any further. 

It seemed almost impossible that it had happened maybe only a little over 24 hours ago. 

She didn't know how long she had stayed in that position, lost from reality and swimming in her own non-thoughts. It wasn't until she felt something cold on her chest that she snapped out of her trance. Almost robotically, Aya unbuttoned the first few buttons on her blouse, exposing the skin right above her breasts. She waited for a moment and, in a few seconds, a dim light begun to seep on her skin. She watched, not in curiosity but in expectancy, as the dim light brightened lightly and began to draw an image on her chest. In a few seconds, the image of a wolf was outlined on her skin by the light. Aya sighed softly.

_Looks like I woke up just in time_. She absently thought. Slowly, she hesitatingly touched the now-visible marker with her index finger and the light burst out, and the light sprung above her bed area, looking out of place in the darkness of the whole room. Then, just as suddenly as the light came, it was cut off immediately. The young woman's hand flopped on top of her chest as her entire body and her legs fell flat on the bed. As her eyes closed, she heard the faint sound of heels clipping on the floor, coming her way. 

"Z-ero." She breathed softly, before her eyes closed definitely and her head fell to one side.

Farah hurriedly pushed aside the curtain surrounding the girl, concerned. She was on night shift and had been looking over a couple of files when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed some strange bright light in the girl's area. Worried, she had strode over to the site where she had been sure the light had come from and was confused when she saw no bright light and the girl was still sleeping. Farah eyed the sleeping girl and a cold shiver ran down her spin. Something strange was going on.

Aya felt light winds brushing by her body. When she and the others had first started out their training, they had come to rely on each other as best friends and had developed a very rare bond. Only the legendary soldiers of their world were said to possess such bonds and that was because the soldiers only had each other when it came to wars. Back then, hardly anyone could do anything about the threatening dangers to their world. Now, their people were more advanced and Aya and the others had been able to establish a bond strong enough to create the plane. 

            The plane was sort of a mental playing field for them. It was place that couldn't be found on any map. Only when Aya felt herself land on something 'solid', did she open her eyes. She sighed. She was the first one to get there. The plane was exactly what it sounded like. Think of a house, with no roof, and no walls or doors. It was a solitary platform floating in darkness, an abstract to compare to her feelings. That was another thing about the plane; it would conform to the feelings of the occupants on it. They had created the plane years ago, accidentally, actually. The five of them had been mind-speaking before they slept. When they had fallen asleep, they found that their minds had converged together, and the plane symbolized that. Now, Aya walked across the empty plane, staring at the darkness about her. She sighed dejectedly. Was she really feeling that bad lately?

            "Holy crap!" Aya turned around just in time to see Koji stumble onto the plane. She watched as the messy brown head made contact with the 'floor' and winced at the sound of his explicit cursing. She giggled slightly at the groaning figure and his head snapped up in attention at the noise and his face lit up with a wide smile. "Yo Aya!" The head inclined and the body flipped him back on his feet and Aya ran to him, arms open.

            She laughed happily as he embraced her with one of his bear hugs. She and Koji were the younger ones of the group and they had, therefore, become closer with each other over time. They had a sibling-love relationship and understood each other very well a lot of time; like now. Koji glanced about into the space surrounding the plane. He quirked an eyebrow at the darkness then turned to the girl who avoided his look. He brought his hands to her face and forced her to look at him. "You alright, kid?" Aya gave a sarcastic snort and shook her head, now brandishing watery eyes, determined not to cry. Koji sighed sympathetically and ruffled her hair. "Hey, c'mon. It's gonna be alright, okay? We'll be home in no time and we'll make sure those bastards pay for what they did to our homes, you hear me?"

            Koji gave out a very infectious smile that Aya couldn't help but imitate. "Yeah," She murmured. "I hear you."

            At that moment, the darkness that had plagued the plane since she had been the only one to set foot on it faded away to reveal soft white-blue hues of clouds, making it so that the platform was floating on air. Aya smiled at the change of the visual atmosphere. She squeezed Koji's hand. 

"Thanks, Koji." He smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"No big, surrogate little sister." The two shared a laugh until they felt a new presence behind them. They turned around just in time to see the blinding white light drop by until Leo's form stepped through to the surface of the plane. There was tinge of anger sown in the amber eyes as they sought out the duo.

            Leo took one look at Koji and Aya, standing way too close for his liking, their hands clasped together, a rare, true smile on her angelic features, and he couldn't help _but glare. Aya looked somewhat panicky and wary of the anger swelling in his eyes and she was sure that Koji saw it too. However, at that point, she really _really_ wanted to slaughter her 'big brother'. Koji grinned widely at the sight of Leo, seemingly oblivious to his death glare. But Aya knew better. Koji knew Leo. Koji knew how Leo would react. She plastered on a fake grin and dug her nails into his palm. _

            _I am going to kill you. _She sent out to him telepathically. To her chagrin, he grinned back at her.

            _You'll thank me for this. _With that, he snaked his arm around her waist and faced Leo.

            "Hey man!" He called as Leo neared them. "How's it going?"

            Leo smiled grimly, his eyes still darting back and forth between the two. "Not fun. It's hard to keep track of my target since her fans swarm in every direction she goes. You?"

            Koji shuffled uneasily under his friend's gaze and then said too-casually, "Ah, you know. Same old, same old."

            Leo raised an eyebrow. "'Same old'?" He repeated. "Please elaborate, Koji."

            Koji winced at the powerful demand and Aya was surprised to see sweat on his face. He sighed, giving up, and then rubbed his temples. "She caught me."

            Leo and Aya's eyes bulged out from their sockets. "_What_?"

            "Koji, tell me you are joking." Aya demanded, slightly stepping away from him.

            "Oh, he'd better be joking." Leo growled, fists clenched. "Koji what the hell were you thinking?"

            "Ease up, bro." Koji hurriedly said, backing away slightly, sweat dropping. "It wasn't completely my fault. I ended up in a forest and I didn't know if anyone else was in it. I sensed some energy usage and I found her. I put my guard down just for a while and she caught me."

            Leo growled in frustration and rubbed his temples. This wasn't good. He sighed. "Oh well. What's done is done. We'll discuss it in a minute.' He glanced about the floating platform. "Now where the hell is Trey and Trini?"

            As if on cue, there was another bright light and two figures stepped onto the surface of the plane. Both had dark, curly hair. They were wearing the civilian clothing of the people on this planet and the girl had once more placed her hair on a high ponytail. The male threw his head back lazily and eyed Leo mockingly. "You growled, sir?"

            Leo and Koji smiled at the greeting before all the males on the plane suddenly covered their ears.

            "Trini!"

            "Aya!"

            "Damn." Koji muttered, grimacing as he picked on his ear, half-watching the two girls embrace each other giddily.

            "So…" Trey turned to the other two. "How've you guys been doing?"

            About an hour later, the five of them had discussed their progress. None had approached their targets even though they had already caught up to them. It really didn't help that none of them had a place to stay at yet. Aya was on the hospital bed, Leo was on top of his target's hotel, Trini and Trey were stationed on top of a building by their target's home, and Koji was haphazardly balanced on a tree branch in the woods. 

            "But they were right." Koji was saying. "They're extremely powerful. My target's power level is way up there and I think that they knew we're on their planet."

            "They may be a bit primitive," Aya mused aloud. "But they do have pretty adequate power levels and their sensitivity to strangers must be sharp by now so it would only be natural for them to spot us."      

Trini nodded solemnly. "Our area is their place of origin. Trey and I performed a radar energy check spell. Apparently, there are three of them in our vicinity, one of them being our target and another, smaller signal for the baby. Also, we found faint energy traces of two others; it seems that they're out of the city."

            "Things are even more annoyingly complicated since all of them are in separate countries." Trey added exasperatingly. He growled and threw his hands up in the air. "Wonderful."

            "Ease up, bro." Koji stepped in. "It's cool. We'll work out something."

            "But how?" Leo put in calmly. "We have yet to interfere in their lives and ask for their help and we still don't know if they'll agree to help us out."

            "They have to." Aya said desperately. "They just have to. You guys heard the stories. They were legends. They have hearts of gold. Of course they'll help us."

            "Don't be so optimistic, Aya." Leo countered grimly. "They are legends but remember they're humans, too. They're humans that have suffered a lot in the past years because of their duties. They've had to give up dreams and plans because of their jobs to protect the world. And now, at this present time, they've entered a time of peace. For the past years they've been able to live peacefully, hardly ever using their powers. And they like it." He glanced around at his comrades. They had all looked away from his burning gaze. None of the others had taken into consideration to the feelings of the warriors they were sent to retrieve. All they wanted was to go home. Leo sighed and continued. "To top it all off, their apparent leader now has a child." He brushed back his hair tiredly. "Do you really think they're going to go on this so readily with us?"

            They all became suspended in silence for a moment. None of them had given much thought at all about what to do after they sought out their targets. They just figured that they find them and coerce them to help out. Beyond that, it was just a blur. 

Koji let out a sigh and brushed back his chestnut-colored hair. "God, we're screwed."

Trini slapped him upside the head. "Way to show your team spirit."

"The way I see it," Trey began, "We've got to tell them what's going on. No wait, hold on!" He said, countering the protesting outbursts from his friends "Look, we'll tell them our situation. We all know the rules and the consequences so we all know we can't tell them _everything. But we have to let in enough to show them that we need their help."_

"But what if they're still not willing to help us out?" Aya asked quietly. Trey glanced at her quickly and then looked over at his best friend. Leo was looking at Aya, his amber eyes empty if not for a tiny spark way in the back of his soul. 

"Then we threaten them with exposure of their true identities to the world," Was the stoic and startling reply of their leader. Leo abruptly turned his back to his friends, once more assuming his position as their commander, far from his occupation as their friend.

            They all glanced at him quickly, realizing he wasn't kidding. Aya cautiously took a step towards the white-haired teen. 

            "Leo." She began. "Perhaps we don't have to go that far. You said it yourself, we know the consequences of-"

            "Stop being such an idiot, Aya." Leo replied harshly, his back still turned to her. The others snapped their heads in their direction, shocked. His tone was a little too vehement than it should be, especially for Aya. He continued on in his severe manner. "Not everything turns out wonderfully and it's about time you learned to accept it. You said you wanted to get home, well this is one of these things we have to deal with if we want to go home."

Silent tears poured down from Aya's face. A flash of memory crossed her mind of their kiss before she crossed the portal. And she had foolishly thought that maybe he could change from his cool and aloof self. She clenched her fist angrily, nails digging into her palm. Yes, she truly was a fool. 

            "I have to go now." She muttered loudly enough for all of them to hear. "I'll report back later."

            She closed her emerald eyes, her mental body fading as it receded back to her body on the physical plane. As she left, she hard Trini's faint calling of her name and made a mental note to apologize for her sudden abruptness later. 

            As she shuddered awake back to the coldness of the bed in the hospital room, Koji, Trini, and Trey all pondered how idiotic their leader could be, and Leo mentally berated himself for not comforting her when she needed it.

            Small wonder as to why she was so attached to Koji. 

~*chickay*~

Oh…drama. Hehe. Me like! Well, a little inside of what's going on in the minds of our strangers and what was going on before they came to the present time. I think the next chapter I'm going to write will be the last one for Looking Back and then we're on to Foreign Nature. Look into my stories to see fi I've posted anything new. Okay, I'm gonna go now. Love ya, BUH-BYE!

P.S. REVIEW…………… please?


	14. Part XII Obsto, Certo, Vivo

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

A/N: Okay, I made one final adjustment in the last chapter. I just changed the very very last part of the chapter and that's about it. Well, here it is: the last of the first. Wow, that was overrated and overused. Well, this is the last chapter in my prologue for my next story, as I've told you all at the beginning of this prologue. 

Anyway…thank you all so much who have reviewed and read throughout this story and gave me your input. It really means a lot to me as I am a feedback freak. Especially to Baby DayDreamer Wiley who seems to be the first to give me her very kind reviews on my latest fics. As well as Jabba and Sprit of the North for their multiple and encouraging reviews. It really made me feel good to learn that there were people who actually read and took the time to let the author know about it.

Well, here it goes!

Looking Back

Part XII

_Zero was abruptly cut off as a black beam shot out and struck her square on the chest. Coram let out a shout of protest but Lugaan held him steady._

_Nikai glared at the prostrate body before her, slightly irritated but much more calm as she watched the other woman's shaky intakes of breath._

_A silence struck the room, only Zero's ragged breathing could be heard. Nikai turned to the man by her and drawled lazily,_

_"I think now is the time to work that little tracking magic of yours, Soren."_

Zero was still smirking as Soren exited the room as his Lady commanded of him.

"Track them all you can," She slurred menacingly. Coram could've killed his on and off girlfriend at this point, since Lady Nikai looked ready to do just that. Was she _trying_ to get killed? "But it's already too late." She continued. "They've crossed over and that's doing more than enough."

Nikai glared at her through narrowed violet slits. "I wouldn't be so sure of that High General. My people and I have...highly _persuasive methods." She grinned slyly. "You witnessed my methods at your capital a mere twenty four hours ago."_

The High General's eyes hardened. "That was a battle." She replied. "You've already lost the war when you let those five go."

Nikai snarled. "Kiyomi! Lugaan!" she turned to her top appointed leaders. "Please rid yourselves of these vermin and come here. Guards! Escort these two back to the dungeon area. I have no more use for them for now."

"As you wish." Was the passive reply and Lugaan floated back to the ground, knife still pressed against Coram's throat and Kiyomi took a bruising grip on Zero's arm and flung her at some faceless, armored figures that took hold of her and Coram. As the two were taken away, Nikai settled down on her throne. She glanced back up at the prisoners being escorted back to the dungeons when Zero suddenly looked behind her. Nikai was surprised at the last-minute glance. The older woman no longer looked pissed or angry or even annoyingly sarcastic. In fact, they looked (was it possible?) compassionate…and hesitating? She would've questioned it but Zero was forced to keep on walking and soon, both were gone from her line of sight. After a moment's silence, Nikai turned to her most trusted leaders.

"What do you think?" Kiyomi leaned against Nikai's throne thoughtfully. 

"Girl wasn't lying." She put in, twisting a few white braids. "The guy wanted her to do so, you could tell. But she obviously thought his life was worth it."

"And with the conviction she had," Lugaan continued. "I'm sure she was telling the truth. She doesn't want anything to happen to her…that boy."

Nikai raised her eyebrows at the slight stutter the man beside her made at the end of his sentence and felt the woman beside her stiffen.

"Obviously," She started off strongly, breaking apart the tension between her two leaders. "That plan of yours worked Lugaan. Though I suppose we were lucky to find that you hadn't killed off her lover in your massacres."

Lugaan had grimaced at the word 'lover' but gave an impish smile at the younger girl at the throne. "My lady, I see you do not approve of my methods."

Nikai allowed a touch of a real smile to touch her face. "You know me, Lugaan. I prefer things to be done right away, I find it very hard to accept any delays."

Lugaan nodded, bowing exaggeratedly. "Of course, my Lady." He straightened up, smiling. "I will see if there is anything I can do to speed up the process."

Nikai nodded. "Very well. Kiyomi, go with him." She smirked as she stood up. "You never know what the male mind is capable of forming. Please keep an eye on the boys. I need to lie down."

The two nodded and went off in one direction and Nikai continued in another. She made her way past the darkened hallways of the ship/base, guards bowing as she passed them. Well, they weren't really guards. In fact, all in all, there were only a selective few who could actually think on their own. Everyone else was a drone, created by the higher masters who had sent them there. She finally reached her room. Nikai stood in front of the steel doors before they gave way and she walked in. Her room was one of the larger ones in the ship. There was a wide wall that was a window at which she could see the burning city before her. Her bed had curtains coming down on it and she was feeling particularly drained today, though she didn't really know what it was. She walked over to her bed, not bothering to change. As she sat at the edge, she went over her head the strange gaze the High General Zero had given her.

_Strange woman. She convicts and berates me and then she looks at me as if she cares. _Nikai ruefully shook her head. As if these monsters in this place could ever care. She swung her legs around and settled onto of her bed, exhausted. She found her thoughts drifting to her Master and the Elders and wondering about how everything was at home.

Master Gy'Zre had told her that she was born to defeat these mortals. Thinking of the old man, she couldn't help but frown slightly. He and the other elders had sent her and the other three to rid this land of the mortals, telling them to return when they were done. But why didn't they come with them?

_Oh yeah._ She thought dryly. _They figured my powers would be enough._

Master Gy'Zre had been the one to bring her up. She and the others who were in control now had grown up in another planet, much different than this one. However, they had to hide themselves since the Elders said that these people were the ones who wanted the Elders dead…supposedly because they believed the Elders were a threat to them. Master had said that the day Nikaleria (he never called her Nikai) was born, their people rejoiced because it was said that she was the only one capable of defeating them. He had told her that her mother had died while giving birth to her and that her father was killed protecting her with his life. However, she was told that she had an older sister. But when she had asked about it…

            Her violet eyes glazed over at the memory.  It seemed that whenever she asked any questions about her older sister, no one was willing to answer her. However, she had managed to wrangle out of Kiyomi, who had a habit of listening in on the Elder's conversations, that Nikai's sister was actually part of the people whom they were fighting against. Apparently, once their mother had died, her older sister had abandoned them and told the enemy of their father's position and had actually killed their father. 

Talk about drama. 

Nikai clenched her fists.

            She would get her answers and avenge her father. Thinking of her family, she reached into her dress, and pulled out a golden item. They told her that it was the only thing that they found of her parents, that her older sister had led the destruction of their home and all their belongings were destroyed. She looked at it quizzically. Nikai had had it forever but was never able to figure out what it was. Kiyomi suggested it was just a fancy trinket while Soren had wondered aloud if it was a secret weapon and had volunteered to break it apart to see what was inside. Nikai just glared at him. 

            However…Lugaan didn't say anything, which only heightened her own thoughts that perhaps he knew what it was. The Elder's constantly trusted him, almost as much, if not more than they confided in Nikai. Subconsciously, she reached up and touched the dainty spiked star jewel on her forehead.

Whenever the Elders were trying to contact her, the spiked star would glow. But since they had arrived there, they hadn't made contact. However, with this new information about the escapees, Nikai had a feeling that something was bound to go wrong. Maybe about two hours after she had lain there, she heard the doors to her quarters open. She sat up in bed and willed the curtains facing her doorway to pull aside as they revealed a satisfied-looking Kiyomi. She raised an eyebrow, smiling.

            "I take it we've made contact?"

            Kiyomi sat at the edge of Nikai's bed. "Soren was able to develop a way to follow the soldiers. He went over to the site of the portal and took in a sweep of the area and found some quite interesting things. After some tinkering with the machines there, he believes we can recreate a portal of our own and follow the escapees."

            Nikai had arisen from her bed and the two were already out of Nikai's room and towards where Soren and Lugaan were. After some bowing, Soren went on to explain.

            "Their portal was produced with the usage of a mix of their technology and some of their own magic. Naturally, we can recreate the technology that would expel similar or the same type of energy they used to fuel the portal and some of our own magic."

            "But how would we know if we're at the right setting?" Kiyomi asked. "For all we know, we could end up at a place that's dimensions from their setting."

            "We've been developing a tracker for them." Lugaan put in. "They're not from that place and give off a specific kind of energy that we can be traceable with the proper instruments. And, like Soren said, we just have to put in the settings that were last inputted to the portal machine."

            "The boy was able to destroy the monitor for the portal," Soren had grimaced, remembering the loss of the beautiful portal. "But he only struck at one place, which was enough to destroy it, but most of the settings that we found when we went there were left unchanged."

            "So we have their location in coordinates." Nikai finished. She nodded, taking it all in. "I will let the Elders know."

Some of the drones in the room flinched at the flippant mentioning of their creators. Even more drones shrunk away from their Lady when her eyes lit up with a violet glow and the spiked star emblem on her pale forehead gleamed. The drones cowered from their leaders and Soren and Kiyomi looked apprehensive while Lugaan stood where he was, waiting. Nikaleria was calling on the Elders.

Nikai looked about her, her astral body feeling weightless in her mind. She stretched her violet magic deep into her mental links, calling forth a powerful black tie to contact her Master.

_'Master…'_

There was a moment of silence and then a deep voice answered Nikai's astral calling.

_'Lady Nikaleria?' _A white outline of a figure appeared before her. The outline was nothing more than a shapeless being, somewhat symbolic of the enigmatic Elder. This was Master Gy'Zre, her foster father and mentor.

_'Yes, Master Gy'Zre,' _She said/thought_. 'It's me.'_

_'My child. Is there something wrong?'_

_'Unfortunately, there might be sir.' _She replied. Bracing herself, she continued._ 'About two days ago while on an attack on the capital, some soldiers managed to get a hold of a portal that opened up on a plane parallel to this planet. After questioning the High General of this kingdom, we have found that those soldiers have crossed over to that plane and are apparently searching for some legendary warriors there and-'_

_'What?' _Nikai was startled by the anger and anxiousness in her Master's voice when he cut her off. She felt a flare of emotional outbursts from her mentor and was highly surprised. Her foster father hardly ever showed his emotions.__

_'Master?'_

Master Gy'Zre of the Elders had remained formless for a while, returning to her calling in about a minute later, probably because he had just relayed the message to the others. 

_'Lady Nikaleria, are you still there?'_

_'Yes, Master.'_

_'Listen to me, child. How many were there? How many of the soldiers crossed through?'_

_'Five, sir.'_

She felt his hot anger at this information but he continued on with his interrogation.

_'And what are you doing now?'_

Quickly, as to not make him any more impatient and angry than he already was Nikai moved over the facts as how they had discovered the High General's weakness with the blonde soldier and how they had learned of the five missing soldiers' intentions. She included Soren's plan and tactics and the up-coming tracker they would use to retrieve the soldiers. For a while, her Master took in the information. Finally, he spoke back to her, and his words left the younger woman confused and startled.

_'If Soren's machine works send out your best drones after the missing soldiers. Don't bother to trouble yourself and the rest of the base by going after them. You still have the rest of that land of take care of as I understand there are some rebels building up there that are becoming fast pests.'_

'_But, Master_,' Nikai put in. '_I should accompany what ever drone I send ahead since these beings that I've heard of are more than just our ordinary opponents.'_

'_NO!'_ Nikai was so startled that she almost lost control of her mental connection. Her Master amended himself more slowly and calmer_. 'Don't bother yourself, Nikaleria. Just send some drones, kill off the soldiers who've escaped.'_

_'But what of the legendary warriors_?' There was pause in her Master's part and she sensed several emotions from him. She was confused. Her Master was now exerting apprehension and tension. With a touch of finality, he said,

_'Destroy them as well if they get in the way._' Nikai abruptly blinked, the violet light in her eyes fading aside as Master Gy'Zre cut off the connection. She stumbled slightly on her feet. Her Master had sounded so upset and angry. She brought a pale hand against her chest, suddenly realizing that she was breathing hard. Why? It was fine when she had started her report. But as soon as she had mentioned the High General…

She snapped up, looking about her and noticing that the others were looking at her inquiringly. She straightened and resumed her duty as the Lady of her crew.

"Soren, finish up that portal of yours. Once you do, send our top five drones after those soldiers." She looked about those in front of her, satisfied with the obedient bows and nods of acknowledgements. After a moment of quick thinking she said, "Bring them back alive. Unconscious, perhaps, but at least capable of thought and speech."

She thought she saw movement at Lugaan's side, but the man only dropped his head as she turned to him. Raising an eyebrow at him, she turned swiftly, heading for the throne. As she heard the clipping of Kiyomi's following boots, Nikai's thoughts wandered over to Master Gy'Zre's reaction to her news, Lugaan's strangely passive nature, and the enigmatic glance the High General Zero had thrown her way before she was escorted back to the dungeons.

"_Setsuna, you have witnessed what became of the heroines of the planet." Serenity said. "They now live normal lives, their power remains yet the evil is gone and there is no need for our heroes."_

_"I can see that, your Highness." Setsuna began. "But what does that have to do with your mother's plan including me?"_

_The couple sighed. Serenity looked down and Endymion stared into Setsuna's eyes. _

_"Setsuna, my mother-in-law asked that we repay you for all that you've done for this planet, guiding over the gates of time and even more protecting our daughter"_

_Setsuna blushed slightly. "Thank you."_

_"No." Serenity said with finality. "Thank you. And mother asked us to do something for you to try to repay you for all that you've done." She smiled and looked at her husband, who smiled right back. She turned to Setsuna. _

_"Setsuna Meioh, senshi of time, guardian of the Time Gates, we, the royal couple of the Crystal Tokyo, offer you this opportunity." She stepped down until she was in front of the other woman. Her husband followed. They had smiles on their faces. Setsuna eyed them both with curiosity._

_"Setsuna, we offer you an opportunity to relive your life." She paused. "As a normal human being." Setsuna's jaw dropped open._

_"W-what?" Serenity nodded and Endymion smiled wider._

"Y-your majesties." Setsuna stammered. "Surely you jest." Yet despite her conviction, her voice held a tinge of hope.

"There is no joking about this matter, Setsuna." Endymion said seriously. "This is the definite reality."

Setsuna stared. Her eyes darted from Serenity to Endymion is disbelief.

"B-but...W-what...W-why...?" She cried out hysterically. "What have I done wrong? Tell me please!"

"You have done no wrong." Serenity smiled. "This is not a punishment. Rather, it's a reward."

Setsuna was speechless. Her heart was beating faster with each second and she felt her brain furiously pounding in her head.

Endymion stepped up. "You have done more than your share all this time, guardian. You deserve this more than you think you might."

Setsuna realized that her breath was now coming short intakes of air. Her head was pounding even harder now, almost as hard as her heart was in her chest. Her staff clattered to the ground as her hands flew to her head. Her body followed her staff as she collapsed to her knees, tears splattering onto the marble floor.

Serenity kneeled before her. With one hand she lifted the crying woman's face to meet her own.

"What tears do you cry?" She questioned softly. Setsuna looked up at the much younger woman, tears still forming from the maroon orbs, rolling down her flushed cheek, and falling onto the ground.

"Those of joy." She answered between sobs. Serenity nodded smilingly as if it was the answer she expected. She brought her other hand in between of them. The crystal shined brightly in her hand as she held it out to Setsuna.

"You have been offered the chance of a lifetime." She stated. "For the guardian of time, you should know what kind of opportunity calls for. Now, do you accept this offer or do you choose the position with which you have occupied for centuries?"

Setsuna stopped sobbing and looked at her Queen, tears still falling. She sighed and smiled. 

"I accept."

Her hand shakily made its way to the crystal. Her Majesty's hand gently steadied her own. Serenity smiled and gazed back at her husband, who also smiled, then turned back to Setsuna.

"Then so be it." Setsuna's hand touched the crystal and bright light consumed them all.

_            Setsuna felt herself being lifted. It was like when she transformed but now her uniform was disappearing. Almost like air, her outfit practically evaporated into the atmosphere. Everything around her fell into a soft violet shade. It took a while for it to register into her mind that she was naked. She curled herself, hugging her knees to her chest. Her hair floated freely around her, wrapping around her figure like a blanket. She closed her eyes, relishing the bliss that the crystal always gave out._

**'Princess Setsuna of the Planet of Time, Pluto, daughter to King Hades and Queen Persephone._'__ Serenity's voice glided to her ears. She lifted her eyes, half closed in a brooding manner. _****'You have lived your duty as the guardian of the Gates of Time. Your loyalty to this planet Earth and its inhabitants has been proven time and time again. In return, you have accepted the royal couple of Crystal Tokyo's offer. And you will now have all that your fellow scouts had whence they were reborn onto the planet called Earth. **

**'And this is all which you will have. Time will now be rewoven to include you in its threads. For all that you were deprived in the centuries when you guarded those gates you will now be able to live the life that your own comrades live. Your scouting powers will still be within you and will be able to be called upon at your own will. However, you will have little to no recollection of what happened after the time frame which you will enter through. We feel that perhaps, it is better for you and the others that way. Good-bye, guardian and thank you for all that you've done for us'**

_Setsuna smiled. White light devoured her body. And she disappeared._

At that same moment, when Time was rewoven to include its own guardian, a black dispatched ship from Nikai's baseship crossed over to the site of the planet Earth a couple of years before the era of the Crystal Millennium.

And at that time, a baby cried out restlessly in her sleep, the eight senshi on the planet Earth all snapped up in surprise and fear, a husband reached over and gripped his wife's hand, and the five foreign warriors all tensed up, preparing themselves for the battle before them, and muttering an old mantra beneath their breaths. 

**"Obsto, Certo, Vivo."**

Ending notes: 

Well, this is the finish of the prologue and I will be starting **'Obsto, Certo, Vivo'**, the actual story that I've been building up to from now. Yeah, I figured that would be a nice way to tie the stories together, end the prolouge with the title of the next one. In case you guys haven't noticed, I have an extremely soft spot for the Latin language though I'm sure that what I've just titled my upcoming fic would probably offend people who actually know how to speak the language. I just think it's a very elegant and pretty language and it adds a taste of class, no? '**Obsto, Certo, Vivo'** was the story that I had once referred to as '**Foreign Nature'** and it is now permanently '**Obsto, Certo, Vivo**.'

However, before I write the story, here's one little condition.

Now is the time for one last request from my kind and generous viewers: Review. Let me know if you want me to continue. If you want to know all the hidden mysteries, the half-truths, protective lies, and the connection between our senshi and these new warriors: let me know by doing that thing you do so well. Review! Hell, click the button, put in three words, heck! Three _letters_, I don't care what, just make a sign that you've read and liked and want to know more. I won't write it up until I've seen that people actually care.


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